Everything to Know About the 2025 Cannes Film Festival

This year's Cannes Film Festival kicks off May 13, bringing global cinema back to the Croisette.

Apr 11, 2025 - 15:48

Everything to Know About the 2025 Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival is set to take center stage once again as the global heart of cinema next month. French actor Laurent Lafitte will host the opening and closing ceremonies from May 13th to 24th, stepping in for Camille Cottin. Presiding over the 2025 jury is none other than Juliette Binoche—Oscar winner, icon of French auteur cinema, and now, exactly 40 years after her first appearance on the famed Montée des Marches for Rendez-vous, the face of this year’s festival. She follows in the footsteps of last year’s jury president, American director Greta Gerwig, joining the ranks of other groundbreaking women like Olivia de Havilland and Sophia Loren.

Italy in the Spotlight With Fuori

Italy enters the main competition with Fuori, the only Italian film vying for the Palme d’Or. Directed by Mario Martone, the film dives into the transformative life of writer Goliarda Sapienza, played by Valeria Golino. Known for recently directing the Sky series adaptation of Sapienza’s The Art of Joy, Golino portrays the author as she finds herself in prison after an impulsive act. There, she forms lasting bonds with younger inmates—relationships that spill over into a powerful Roman summer after their release. The film also stars Matilda De Angelis and singer-actress Elodie.

Two additional Italian films join the Un Certain Regard section: Testa o croce?, a western by Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis that reimagines Buffalo Bill—played by John C. Reilly—and Le città di pianura, the contemplative directorial debut from Francesco Sossai, which paints an intimate road trip across Italy’s emotional and geographic landscapes.

Across the Atlantic, familiar faces bring new projects to Cannes. Joaquin Phoenix headlines Eddington, Ari Aster’s pandemic-era Western also starring Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone. Scarlett Johansson makes her directorial debut with Eleanor the Great, screening in Un Certain Regard. The film follows Eleanor—played by 95-year-old June Squibb—as she reinvents her life in New York after losing her best friend.

Wes Anderson, a Cannes favorite, returns to the competition with The Phoenician Scheme. This stylish spy caper stars Benicio Del Toro as the elusive Zsa-Zsa Korda and features Anderson’s signature ensemble cast: Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Robert De Niro to Receive Honorary Palme d’Or

At the opening ceremony, Cannes will honor American screen legend Robert De Niro with the Honorary Palme d’Or for Lifetime Achievement. Fourteen years after serving as jury president, the Taxi Driver and The Godfather Part II star returns to the Croisette in a moment he describes as deeply meaningful. “I love the Cannes Film Festival,” De Niro shared. “Especially now, in a world full of division, Cannes brings us together.” The following day, De Niro will host a public masterclass at the Théâtre Debussy, offering fans a rare look into his craft and storied career.

Tom Cruise Returns With One Last Mission Impossible

That same evening, Tom Cruise will return to the Croisette for the out-of-competition premiere of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. This marks Cruise’s third Cannes appearance following Far and Away (1992) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022), the latter earning him an honorary Palme d’Or. Joining him on the red carpet will be director Christopher McQuarrie and co-stars Vanessa Kirby and Mariela Garriga. The final installment promises high-stakes action as Ethan Hunt leads the IMF team through one last, pulse-pounding mission.