Cannes Film Festival 2025: an essential guide to the must-watch films
The Cannes Film Festival is one of the most prestigious cinematic traditions, with filmmakers gathering from all corners of the world to celebrate their work and showcase the most daring provocateurs, subversive storytellers and risky performances from across the globe. Directors from the likes of Xavier Dolan, Julia Ducournau, Gaspar Noé and Andrea Arnold all premiered their debuts at the festival, sending ripples of shock throughout theatres with projects that both sparked rage, uproar and fainting spells.
As a result, the festival has gained a reputation for championing genuinely creative work, pushing the boundaries of the medium and keeping the art form alive, with people recognising Cannes as one of the few remaining festivals that is wholeheartedly intent on preserving cinema and reinforcing the power of the big screen. Whether it be through Ducournau’s fiercely beautiful tale of unconditional love, as told through a woman who has sex with cars or Noé’s blistering critique of misogyny that led audiences to walk out of the screening in retaliation to his confrontational methods, the festival has never failed to both challenge and comfort audiences through the transformative power of cinema.
But with the lineup announced for this year’s festival, many film lovers are eagerly anticipating a restorative year for the medium. The industry’s reputation and sense of artistic integrity have taken a nosedive after the unfortunately successful release of A Minecraft Movie and a recent string of poorly adapted biopics and sequels.
However, we can always count on the Cannes Film Festival to have a rejuvenating and explosive impact on the creative landscape. It reminds us of the cerebral impact and magnitude of those who have previously stepped foot in the hallowed French halls and forever changed the history of cinema. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at this year’s programme and the films that have the potential to do just that.
Perhaps what is most special about the Cannes Film Festival is the spotlight on European and world cinema, with only a handful of American auteurs premiering their projects. In a world where Hollywood continues to lose its grasp on the meaning of true art, French and European cinema continues to be a prime example of the importance of maintaining a thriving creative industry and general respect for artists. As a result, the programme is packed to the brim with works from new and emerging directors worldwide, something refreshing to see in a cinematic climate that seems to prioritise meaningless and money-grabbing Hollywood projects.
For a festival that takes place in France, it only seems right to begin by discussing some of the key French filmmakers who will be sharing their work at the 78th iteration of the event, with one stand-out obviously being Alpha, directed by the great Julia Ducournau. After the release of Titane at the 2021 festival, the director sparked equal levels of disgust and reverence for her grotesque and deeply erotic tale of identity and unconditional love.
The inclusion of Alpha in the lineup naturally caused quite a stir among film lovers, with the movie starring Emma Mackey and following a teenager in the 1980s who her classmates ostracised after being accused of spreading an infectious disease. Matters of the body have always been a focus for Ducournau, with both her parents working in the medical field and sparking an interest in the body-horror genre. From the description of the film, it sounds as though we can expect something along a similar vein, perhaps with a similarly extreme outer layer but a deeply moving and profound core.
Esteemed independent director Kelly Reichardt will also be included in the competition this year, premiering her latest project, The Mastermind. Starring Alana Haim and Josh O’Connor, the film is described as an art heist flick set during the Vietnam War. Considering that the filmmaker is known for her slow and introspective style, it will be fascinating to see how she merges this with a typically fast-paced and high-stakes genre. After his work with Alice Rohrwacher, another key figure within the modern slow cinema movement, O’Connor’s pairing with Reichardt seems like a match made in heaven and will no doubt be another considered addition to his thoughtful oeuvre.
“O’Connor’s pairing with Reichardt seems like a match made in heaven and will no doubt be another considered addition to his thoughtful oeuvre”.
After dazzling audiences with his tale of twenties chaos and indecision, Joachim Trier will return to the festival with Sentimental Value. The film marks another collaboration with Renate Reinsve, who won the coveted award for ‘Best Actress’ after her soaring performance in The Worst Person in the World, which was also a career-high for the director through his life-affirming tale of constant evolution and change. The movie has been described as a portrait of an Oslo family in a house they’ve lived in for generations, with the father (played by Stellan Skarsgård) asking his daughter to return in order to star in his latest film. The director is known for his humanistic and often melancholic slice-of-life style, so we can perhaps expect another story that will both devastate and assure audiences with its intimate and layered interpersonal dynamics.
From Spain, previous Golden Bear winner Carla Simón will premiere her next film, Romeriá, at the festival. The director made quite a splash with Alcarràs in 2022, with her latest project following a young teenager who sets out on a journey to meet her biological father.
Josh O’Connor seems to be making the rounds at this year’s festival, with the actor also starring in The History of Sound alongside Paul Mescal in what has been described as a gay romance/musical. Directed by Oliver Hermanus, the South African director found success with his 2022 film Living. The project has already been acquired by MUBI, and given their reputation and recent distribution of Emilia Perez (which was also a modern musical), there are some reasons to be sceptical. However, O’Connor does seem to have excellent taste, so perhaps this grants him the benefit of the doubt.
There are always a few surprises at the festival, with two actors making their directorial debuts this year. However, many film lovers are very excited about the release of Urchin, written and directed by Harris Dickinson, which follows a homeless man who is struggling to reintegrate into the world and is trapped in a cycle of self-destruction. The actor has continually showcased a considered and sensitive taste in cinema, starring in captivating and risky films such as Baby Girl, Beach Rats and Triangle of Sadness. As a result, many are intrigued to see how his bold creative choices translate behind the screen.
Another one to watch is the debut feature from Akinola Davies Jr, My Father’s Shadow, which is a BFI-backed project that follows two young brothers who spend one day with their estranged father in Lagos. The UK-based charity has also funded the debut feature from Harry Lighton, Pillion, which will also premiere as part of the ‘Un Certain Regard’ category. Starring Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling, who is most well-known for his role as Dudley in the Harry Potter series, the film is described as an erotic drama about a reclusive man called Colin who is suddenly swept away by a mysterious biker called Ray and begins a relationship with him as his submissive. There’s something about the Skarsgård family and their collective penchant for fucked-up psychosexual dramas, which certainly demands a little caution, but the unlikely pairing of Melling and Skarsgård is enough to catch anyone’s attention.
“There’s something about the Skarsgård family and their collective penchant for fucked-up psychosexual dramas, which certainly demands a little caution, but the unlikely pairing of Melling and Skarsgård is enough to catch anyone’s attention”
Anatomy of a Fall gripped audiences after its release in 2023, and the production company behind the project are releasing A Simple Accident at this year’s festival. Directed by Jafar Panahi, the film has been loosely described as being about a minor accident that sets off a chain of escalating consequences. The director has had previous success at the festival as one of Iran’s most influential living directors, creating enduring classics such as This Is Not a Film and No Bears, which won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2022. The director has frequently been arrested by Iranian authorities for the subject matter in his films and political views, so there is no doubt that he shares each of his stories as a matter of urgency, given the risk of spending time behind bars.
And finally, for fans of coming-of-age stories with a twist, The Plague seems like one to watch. Directed by Charlie Polinger, it sounds as though it could be something of a mix between Eighth Grade and Black Swan, following a socially awkward teenager at a water polo camp whose anxiety spirals to new heights. Anything related to deeply uncomfortable adolescent experiences seems to be received well at the festival, so maybe this will be an unexpected favourite.
Films to watch at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival
- Alpha (Julia Ducournau)
- The Mastermind (Kelly Reichardt)
- Sentimental Value (Joachim Trier)
- Romeriá (Carla Simón)
- The History of Sound (Oliver Hermanus)
- Urchin (Harris Dickinson)
- My Father’s Shadow (Akinola Davies Jr)
- Pillion (Harry Lighton)
- A Simple Accident (Jafar Panahi)
- The Plague (Charlie Polinger)
