The quiet glamour of the French Riviera gave way to a cinematic storm as the 2025 Cannes Film Festival unfolded between May 13 and May 24. Flashbulbs popped, premieres dazzled, and conversations around art, politics, and global storytelling took center stage once again at the 78th edition of one of the world’s most prestigious festivals.
This year, the festival wasn’t just a celebration of film—it was a battleground of bold statements and visionary voices. From standing ovations to power outages, emotionally charged tributes to politically urgent protests, Cannes 2025 reminded us that cinema isn’t just entertainment; it’s expression.
From Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi to emotional debuts, red carpet controversies, and fierce discussions on Gaza, Cannes was nothing short of headline-worthy.
If you’re here for the Cannes Film Festival highlights, curious about who won the Palme d’Or in 2025, or just want to discover the top 10 films that lit up the Croisette, we’ve got you covered.
The Winners Circle: Awards That Defined Cannes 2025
*Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident took home the coveted Palme d’Or, capping off a year where cinema wasn’t afraid to get political, personal, and deeply introspective. The Iranian filmmaker’s quiet yet piercing drama stunned critics and the jury alike, led by French icon Juliette Binoche, with its layered storytelling and bold critique of fate and circumstance. If you were wondering who won the Palme d’Or in 2025, this is it: a film that made silence speak volumes.
Beyond the top prize, this year’s Cannes Film Festival awards celebrated stories from around the globe. Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value earned the Grand Prix with its emotionally taut narrative, while the Jury Prize was split between two standouts: Sirât by Oliver Laxe and Sound of Falling by Mascha Schilinski.
Meanwhile, Kleber Mendonça Filho walked away with Best Director for The Secret Agent, a moody political thriller that also bagged Best Actor for Wagner Moura. Nadia Melliti won Best Actress for her unforgettable turn in The Little Sister, and Best Screenplay went to the Dardenne brothers for Young Mothers.
Even the Prix Spécial, rarely handed out, made waves—awarded to Resurrection, a dreamlike descent from Chinese director Bi Gan.
And let’s not forget the Honorary Palme d’Or, handed to two living legends: Robert De Niro and Denzel Washington. Their tributes marked emotional highs in a festival already brimming with resonance.
What Premiered, and What Blew the Roof Off
If you’re curious about which films premiered at Cannes 2025, there’s no shortage of answers—just too many ovations to count.
It Was Just an Accident, this year’s Palme d’Or winner, led the pack in the Official Selection, joined by 21 other films that spanned continents, languages, and styles. Among the buzziest:
- The Secret Agent by Kleber Mendonça Filho, a taut political thriller that electrified the Grand Théâtre Lumière.
- Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier, a haunting meditation on memory and missed chances.
- Resurrection by Bi Gan, a poetic puzzle-box of a film that takes the audience on a metaphysical ride.
Other best films at Cannes 2025 included Young Mothers from the Dardenne brothers, The Little Sister by Hafsia Herzi, and Sirât from Óliver Laxe—each earning passionate praise and multiple jury nods.
In the Un Certain Regard section, the standout was The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo by Diego Céspedes, which won the top prize. A Poet by Simón Mesa Soto and Once Upon a Time in Gaza by Tarzan and Arab Nasser also earned major acclaim for their unflinching storytelling and experimental boldness.
Then there’s the Film du Marché, where distribution deals became almost as newsworthy as the films themselves. Drunken Noodles by Lucio Castro and Laurent dans le Vent made noise on the business end, suggesting a strong pipeline for indie releases post-Cannes.
Whether you’re into Cannes 2025 film premiere reviews or just want to know what to watch next, this year’s selection was rich, political, and globally minded.
Cannes 2025 Red Carpet – Who Stole the Show?
The Cannes red carpet moments this year weren’t just about fashion—they were about statements. And not all of them came from clothes.
Robert De Niro kicked things off in style at the opening ceremony, where he received his Honorary Palme d’Or before the world premiere of Highest 2 Lowest. Denzel Washington, surprise honoree of a second Honorary Palme, followed suit—literally and figuratively—bringing old-school Hollywood gravitas to the Croisette.
The best red carpet looks from Cannes 2025 balanced classic silhouettes with bold personal expression. Amira Haddad, fresh off her Best Actress win for The Little Sister, dazzled in a sculpted emerald gown by Elie Saab. David Kim, who attended to support his film Underneath the Sky, leaned into minimalist tailoring with a crisp black-on-black suit that won quiet applause.
On the style front, velvet was in, capes made a comeback, and sustainable couture continued its rise. The most talked-about moment? Juliette Binoche, jury president, wore a repurposed vintage Dior from 1995 to one of the premieres—a statement on both timeless beauty and conscious fashion.
But beyond the threads, the Cannes 2025 fashion highlights were about ownership. Newcomer Aisha Khan turned heads in a pearl-embroidered sari, while Jeremy Strong arrived in a sharp tan tux—minus the tie, plus the swagger.
Cannes is always a runway, but this year, it doubled as a canvas for identity, heritage, and self-expression.
Behind the Curtain: How Cannes 2025 Chose Its Winners
The jury at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival had their work cut out for them. With 22 films in competition and a politically charged atmosphere surrounding the event, the decisions carried more weight than usual.
Juliette Binoche led the Main Competition jury, becoming only the second French woman to do so. Alongside her were a diverse, international panel: actors Jeremy Strong and Alba Rohrwacher, filmmakers like Payal Kapadia, Hong Sang-soo, and Carlos Reygadas, plus novelist Leïla Slimani and others. Their guiding principle? “Courage and innovation,” as Binoche put it in the festival’s opening press conference.
The jury decisions at Cannes 2025 reflected that ethos. When Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident was awarded the Palme d’Or, it wasn’t just a win for artistry—it was a political statement. Panahi, an Iranian filmmaker barred from travel, wasn’t present. But his film—subtle, melancholic, deeply human—spoke volumes about resilience and creative defiance.
Meanwhile, the Grand Prix went to Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value, a quiet masterpiece that lingered in the minds of many jury members for its intimate storytelling. Best Director was awarded to Kleber Mendonça Filho for The Secret Agent, a film that turned Cold War paranoia into a fever dream of political theatre.
What stood out in the deliberations, insiders say, was a shared respect for films that blurred genre and geography. This was a year where experimental formats and layered narratives got their due—whether it was the lyrical, fractured style of Resurrection by Bi Gan (which received the Prix Spécial), or the confident debut of The President’s Cake by Hasan Hadi, which earned the Caméra d’Or.
The festival’s choices this year revealed a strong tilt toward empathy-driven storytelling, films that challenge viewers intellectually and emotionally while refusing to play it safe. In a year filled with global unrest and artistic pushback, Cannes made it clear: cinema is still a weapon of truth.
Cannes 2025 Reactions: Cheers, Tears, and Unfiltered Industry Buzz
The critical reactions to Cannes 2025 films ran the full emotional spectrum—from ecstatic ovations to whispered disappointment in dimly lit cafés off the Croisette. One thing was certain: this year’s festival wasn’t playing it safe.
It Was Just an Accident, the Palme d’Or winner from Jafar Panahi, was hailed by Cahiers du Cinéma as “the most tender film ever made about a fractured world.” Variety called it “quietly devastating.” But some critics questioned whether the jury prioritized politics over art, a debate that lit up post-screening dinners across the Riviera.
The Grand Prix recipient, Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier, enjoyed near-universal acclaim. “Trier does for nostalgia what Céline Sciamma does for longing,” wrote IndieWire, calling it one of the best films at Cannes 2025.
On the flashier end, The Secret Agent by Kleber Mendonça Filho was divisive. While praised for its bold direction (and winning Best Director), some called it “overstuffed” and “intellectually aloof.” Yet that didn’t stop Wagner Moura from winning Best Actor for his riveting performance.
Meanwhile, Dardenne brothers’ Young Mothers received the Best Screenplay award and strong support from European outlets, though American critics felt it was a familiar return to form.
On the business side, distributors at the Film du Marché were buzzing about Urchin (Un Certain Regard), The Love That Remains (Cannes Premiere), and Neon Dreams (Midnight Screening)—all tipped for breakout success outside the festival bubble.
And then there was Resurrection by Bi Gan. It didn’t go home with the Palme, but its metaphysical meditation on time and grief earned the Prix Spécial—and the loudest audience reaction of the festival. A 10-minute standing ovation. People wept. Phones stayed tucked away. No one dared blink.
As critic James Alston summarized in Sight & Sound:
“Cannes 2025 proved once again that the future of cinema isn’t just alive—it’s evolving, angry, and achingly beautiful.”
Final Thoughts – Why Cannes 2025 Mattered
The 2025 Cannes Film Festival wasn’t just a parade of red carpets and press junkets—it was a mirror held up to the world. From Jafar Panahi’s searing Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident to bold debuts like The President’s Cake, this year’s selections didn’t play it safe. They grappled with war, gender, memory, and resistance—often from regions that rarely get the spotlight.
Critics hailed it as one of the most politically engaged editions in years, and for good reason. Films were louder, more urgent. Stories were local but resonated globally. And across categories—from the Un Certain Regard section to the immersive experiences in VR—the programming echoed a deeper shift: cinema is evolving, and Cannes is still the place that charts its course.
Whether you’re exploring Cannes Film Festival news or simply want a curated guide to the most essential cinema of the year, these films are not just festival darlings. They’re cultural events in the making.
And Screendollars will be watching.
Looking for movies that took Cannes 2025 by storm? Follow our list for an enriching cinematic experience.