The must-see films of the Cannes Film Festival 2025

The forecasts were correct: the Cannes Film Festival really seems like the must-see film event of 2025. With an incredibly rich program, the French event has gathered the best from filmographies all over the world and is ready to showcase them in preview from May 13 to 25. Some of the rumors have been confirmed, from Ari Aster’s western Eddington to Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier with Renate Reinsve and Elle Fanning. There are also big returns like Julia Ducournau, who after winning the Palme d’Or with Titane in 2021 is back in competition with her third film Alpha, but there are also a few surprises, such as the directorial debuts of actors Harris Dickinson with Urchin and Scarlett Johansson with Eleanor the Great. Italy is also present, both in the official competition and in the 'Un certain regard' section, with Mario Martone and his Fuori, a film about Goliarda Sapienza, the duo Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis with Testa o croce? starring Alessandro Borghi and Nadia Tereszkiewicz, and the road movie Le città di pianura by Francesco Sossai. But what are the must-see titles of the 78th edition of Cannes?

The History of Sound by Olivier Hermanus (Official Competition)

Let’s start with The History of Sound by Oliver Hermanus, which brings together Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal on the same screen. The film is a love story between two men who meet in 1916 and set off on a journey through rural New England to record folk songs. The work, written by Hermanus himself, is based on the short story by Ben Shattuck.

Nouvelle Vague by Richard Linklater (Official Competition)

After presenting his Blue Moon at last year’s Berlin festival, also winning an award for Andrew Scott’s performance, Richard Linklater returns and also enters the competition at Cannes with the film Nouvelle Vague. As the title suggests, it tells the behind-the-scenes story of one of the most important masterpieces of the movement, Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless. The cast includes Guillaume Marbeck as the French director and Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg.

Eddington by Ari Aster (Official Competition)

Ari Aster temporarily steps away from horror, although his western Eddington is still tinged with dark comedy. He also returns to directing Joaquin Phoenix, with whom he previously worked on Beau Is Afraid, this time as Sheriff Joe Cross. The film centers on a couple stranded in a New Mexico town. While things initially seem calm, the story soon takes a strange turn.

Eleanor the Great by Scarlett Johansson (Un certain regard)

Among the actors stepping behind the camera this year is Scarlett Johansson, who, in addition to acting and producing, decided to challenge herself as a director. She does so with Eleanor the Great, the story of a ninety-year-old woman who forms an unlikely friendship with a nineteen-year-old student. The lead role is played by June Squibb, known from Nebraska and the recent Thelma.

Urchin by Harris Dickinson (Un certain regard)

Not everyone knows that Harris Dickinson, riding high in 2024 with Babygirl, has been experimenting with directing since 2013. After a series of short films over the past twelve years, the actor has arrived at writing and directing his first feature film Urchin, the story of homeless Mike on the streets of London and his attempt to turn his life around.

Fuori by Mario Martone (Official Competition)

The only Italian in competition, Mario Martone brings to Cannes the story of Goliarda Sapienza, whose story was adapted last year by Valeria Golino into the TV series L’arte della gioia, also presented during the festival. This time, Golino returns as an actress, portraying the writer she had the fortune to meet as a young girl. In Fuori, Martone tells of the time the woman spent in prison and the relationships she built and carried with her even beyond the bars.

Alpha by Julia Ducournau (Official Competition)

After winning the Palme d’Or in 2021 with Titane, expectations for Alpha by Julia Ducournau are understandably high. Unafraid of taking risks, this time the director and screenwriter tackles an AIDS epidemic in an imaginary New York in the 1980s, seen through the eyes of an eleven-year-old girl and the illness affecting one of her parents.

Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier (Official Competition)

Joachim Trier reunites with Renate Reinsve and together they bring Sentimental Value to Cannes after The Worst Person in the World in 2021. The film tells the story of Nora and her sister Agnes, whose lives are shaken by the loss of their mother and the unexpected return of their father. The cast also includes Elle Fanning and Stellan Skarsgård.

In Simple Accident by Jafar Panahi (Official Competition)

Among the most important directors of recent years is certainly Jafar Panahi, whose talent as a filmmaker and persistence in not giving up on cinema—despite having been repeatedly stopped and arrested—deserve admiration. In complete secrecy, the Iranian director shot his next film In Simple Accident, which will compete at the Cannes Film Festival.

Vie Privée by Rebecca Zlotowski (Out of Competition)

In Vie Privée by Rebecca Zlotowski, an unusual but intriguing encounter takes place. That of actresses Jodie Foster and Virginie Efira in a psychological thriller in which a well-known psychiatrist, portrayed by the Oscar-winning actress, begins a private investigation into the death of one of her patients. She is convinced he was murdered and will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.

The Phoenician Thread by Wes Anderson (Official Competition)

It's a bit surprising to find Wes Anderson in competition at Cannes. Not that it's unusual to see him at the festival—his last film Asteroid City premiered there in 2023. But what critics often point out is that the director has now settled into a style that overshadows content, producing films that are all very, perhaps too, similar. We'll see if that's the case with his upcoming The Phoenician Thread, once again an ensemble film filled with stars, following the story of magnate Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) and his attempt to reconnect with his daughter who became a nun.

Heads or Tails? by Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis

A western set in the early 1900s sees Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show arrive in Rome. The myth being sold is that of the frontier, but Rosa dreams of the real America—not the one on billboards—and is determined to reach it together with Santino, her lover, with whom she fled after her husband’s murder. Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis, who debuted with The Tale of King Crab, return with Heads or Tails?, a film already promising to be one of the juiciest Italian titles of the year, starring Alessandro Borghi and French actress Nadia Tereszkiewicz.

The Wave by Sebastián Lelio (Cannes Premiere)

Sebastián Lelio’s project is big and ambitious. The Wave is a musical inspired by the mass demonstrations against gender-based violence that characterized the period of political and social unrest in Chile in 2018, eventually leading to a constitutional reform on women’s rights.

The Mastermind by Kelly Reichardt (Official Competition)

Another story of female empowerment is The Mastermind by Kelly Reichardt, in which the protagonist James Mooney plans an art heist during the Vietnam War and the deep social and political changes it brought. The film features John Magaro, Alana Haim, and Josh O’Connor.

Splitsville by Michael Angelo Covino (Cannes Premiere)

There’s a touch of comedy in Cannes Premiere with Splitsville by Michael Angelo Covino, starring Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona. Trying to cope with a marriage in crisis, Ashley and Carey ask their friends Julie and Paul how they manage to stay happy after so many years. Apparently, their secret is being in an open relationship—but soon someone crosses the line.

Amrum by Fatih Akin (Cannes Premiere)

From the director of Head-On and Soul Kitchen comes the new film Amrum, led by child actors Jasper Billerbeck and Kian Köppke. Fatih Akin brings to the screen the childhood memories of director and screenwriter Hark Bohm, his longtime friend and co-writer of the project, who recounted what it was like growing up on the German island of Amrum.

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning by Christopher McQuarrie (Out of Competition)

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is not only one of the most anticipated blockbusters of the year, but it also marks the final chapter of the saga that began in 1996 and has nearly reached its thirty-year milestone on the big screen. To celebrate, Cannes will host the premiere of Christopher McQuarrie’s film. Who knows, maybe Tom Cruise will parachute from a plane and land directly on the Croisette.