Cannes 2025: The Big Names and The Big Questions

The Cannes Film Festival is coming up fast, and everyone is wondering what movies will make the cut. The official list is still a mystery, but a few films have already secured their spots. One of these is Jim Jarmusch’s “Father Mother Sister Brother, ” starring Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, and Tom Waits. This film is highly anticipated and is expected to be a strong contender. The last Cannes festival was a hit, despite some concerns about the impact of Hollywood strikes. The festival featured Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning “Anora, ” which later won the best picture Oscar. Other standout films included “Emilia Pérez, ” “The Substance, ” and “Flow. ” This year, the festival is expected to be even bigger, with many major titles submitted and a lot of pressure on the selection committee. Several American filmmakers are expected to make a splash at this year’s festival. Richard Linklater’s French-language film “Nouvelle Vague” is one of the buzziest submissions. It tells the story of the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless” and the birth of the French New Wave. Linklater was recently at the Berlin Film Festival with “Blue Moon, ” about legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart. Spike Lee is also expected to return to Cannes with his A24 movie “Highest 2 Lowest, ” a reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller “High and Low, ” starring Denzel Washington. Wes Anderson is another regular at Cannes, and he’s expected to return with his Focus Features film “The Phoenician Scheme, ” starring Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, and Scarlett Johansson. Other American directors tipped for Cannes include Ari Aster with his A24 Western black comedy “Eddington, ” starring Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix, and Kristen Stewart’s feature directorial debut “The Chronology of Water, ” starring Imogen Poots. International auteurs are also well-positioned to return to the Croisette. The Dardenne brothers, who have won the Palme d’Or twice, are expected to return with their social drama “The Young Mother’s Home. ” Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value, ” a family drama starring Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård, is also anticipated. Other possibilities include Julia Ducournau’s “Alpha, ” László Nemes’s “Orphan, ” and Bi Gan’s sci-fi thriller “Resurrection. ” There are also some films that might not make the cut. Lynne Ramsay’s horror film “Die, My Love, ” starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, and Luca Guadagnino’s thriller “After the Hunt” with Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield are among the films with uncertain statuses. Other films that are definitely not happening include Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Bugonia” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled film. The Cannes Film Festival is always a big deal, and this year is no exception. With so many big names and big questions, it’s sure to be an exciting event.