Our 20-Most Anticipated 2025 Cannes Film Festival Premieres

It’s the most exciting time of the year for a cinephile: the Cannes Film Festival is set to kick off next week, running May 13th-25th. Ahead of festivities we’ve rounded up what we’re most looking forward to, and while we’re sure many surprises await, per every year, one will find twenty films that should be on your radar. Check out our picks below and be sure to subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest updates from the festival.

Alpha (Julia Ducournau)

Winning the Palme d’Or for your previous film is a pretty high bar to clear for your next. It’s also among the best problems any filmmaker could have. Four years after Spike Lee’s jury handed the coveted prize to the first female filmmaker in Cannes history––and one of the most violent films to ever take home a Palme––maverick writer-director Julia Ducournau returns with her next, a relatively under-wraps story that will depict the collapsing world of 13-year-old Alpha after she comes home with a tattoo on her arm to face her mother’s wrath. There likely won’t be any car babies, but based on the one war-torn first-look photo they’ve released, the Emma Mackey-starrer looks like it could be as provocative as Titane, in its own way. – Luke H.

After (Oliver Laxe)

Oliver Laxe, whose last film Fire Will Come debuted in Un Certain Regard and held a very successful global film fest run post-Cannes, is back with Sirat aka After. This time premiering in the main competition at Cannes, the film follows a father who travels to Morocco with his son to search for his daughter, who disappears at a rave. With an intriguing trailer, this could be one of the breakouts of the festival. – Jordan R.

Eddington (Ari Aster)

Easily among the most anticipated of the entire fest, Ari Aster and Joaquin Phoenix’s second collaboration looks to tackle, of all things, pandemic-era paranoia. Or, at least, the chaotic teaser and tagline (“Hindsight is 2020”) certainly makes it seem that way. Few topics are less appealing, but few directors have proven themselves more trustworthy than Aster. Shot by Darius Khondji and co-starring Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal, and Austin Butler, among others, Eddington suggests Aster will be exploding back onto the pop cinema scene he briefly left behind with the fringe foray into Beau Is Afraid. – Luke H.

Die, My Love (Lynne Ramsay)

Eight long years after the unforgettably jarring experience that was You Were Never Really Here, the provocative Glaswegian great is back on the scene with a much-anticipated (late addition) competition title. After a late-summer / early-fall shoot in 2024, Lynne Ramsay has pushed her fifth feature––Die, My Love, an adaptation of Argentine Ariana Harwicz’s 2012 novel Matate, amor––through post-production with urgency. The Martin Scorsese-produced film follows a mother fighting her own psychosis to stay sane in a “remote forgotten rural area,” and has been described by Ramsay as both a psychological horror-thriller and dark comedy. Jennifer Lawrence plays the mother, Robert Pattinson her husband, and LaKeith Stanfield her lover, with Sissy Spacek and Nick Nolte rounding out the cast. – Luke H.

Heads or Tails? (Alessio Rigo de Righi, Matteo Zoppis)

Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppi, the duo behind the wondrous fable The Tale of King Crab, are back with a new feature premiering in Un Certain Regard. Alongside Alessandro Borghi (The Eight Mountains) and Nadia Tereszkiewicz (Red Island), Heads or Tails? stars John C. Reilly as none other than Buffalo Bill, following a real-life 1890 tour to Naples and Rome of his famous “Wild West” show. The duo displayed transportive, dreamlike imagination with their previous feature; we look forward to seeing them up their scope with Reilly in tow. – Jordan R.

Highest 2 Lowest (Spike Lee)

Spike Lee’s first narrative feature in five years has some big shoes to fill. Highest 2 Lowest, his reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s crime masterpiece High and Low, marks a reteam with Denzel Washington after Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man. Also starring Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, and A$AP Rocky, the NYC-set story follows Washington as a titan music mogul targeted with a ransom plot. With Apple and A24 giving this a late-summer release, one imagines this is Lee and Washington in more Inside Man-like popcorn entertainment territory; we also imagine it’ll make a big splash at Cannes. – Jordan R.

The History of Sound (Oliver Hermanus)

The first but not last Josh O’Connor-starring, MUBI-backed period drama on this list, the gay drama The History of Sound (from Living director Oliver Hermanus) finds him starring alongside Paul Mescal. The film, adapted by Ben Shattuck based on his own short story, follows a pair of American World War I servicemen who spark a connection in 1916 but then meet a few years later to embark on a journey to record and collect the sounds, voices, and music of their countrymen in rural New England. For featuring two of the most-promising rising stars of their generation, we look forward to seeing what kind of chemistry blossoms. – Jordan R.

It Was Just an Accident (Jafar Panahi)

It’s equal-parts unsurprising and wildly exciting that revolutionary Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has yet another feature premiering at Cannes. (His last appearance, Three Faces, took home Best Screenplay.) It’s exciting because he’s not allowed to make them, and is often punished by the Iranian government for doing so (his last arrest was in July 2022). It’s unsurprising when he’s persisted time and again. His first film since 2022’s No Bears, It Was Just an Accident follows suit with other Panahi festival premieres by shrouding itself in mystery until the curtains come up during the fest. Yet what little we do know––a single sentence––certainly whets the palette:  “What begins as a minor accident sets in motion a series of escalating consequences.” – Luke H.

I Only Rest in the Storm (Pedro Pinho)

After his collective action musical The Nothing Factory back in 2017, Portuguese director Pedro Pinho is finally returning with his follow-up, the 3.5-hour odyssey I Only Rest in the Storm. Following an environmental engineer who heads to West Africa to work for an NGO on a road project, Pinho peels back the complications of neocolonialism in truly confrontational, transfixing fashion to craft one of our early favorites of the festival. – Jordan R.

The Love That Remains (Hlynur Pálmason)

Known for a painstakingly slow process that allows a film to reveal itself to its makers, Hlynur Palmason is back a mere three years after his sophomore feature Godland landed with a bang in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar. With all the Hollywood bullshit processes removed, directing a feature film ends up taking him about as long as any major company, but all the time and money is put toward worthwhile creative endeavors, leaving his films feeling like immersive art projects that have been considered with much greater depth and detail than a studio endeavor. There’s little to no doubt that his next, a film about parents navigating a separation, will be expertly handled.-  Luke H.

The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol (Sylvain Chomet)

Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville) gives us an animated ode to movies and one particular French artist. The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol is as much about the latter’s lifetime of success as it is about confronting old age and decline, yet Chomet’s beautiful animation promises to sprinkle a little bit of magic on this biopic narrative, in which Little Marcel appears to his older self to guide him down memory lane. – Savina P.

The Mastermind (Kelly Reichardt)

The Croisette may be a sunny paradise for most of the fest, but not even the French Riviera can combat the charming gloom of Josh O’Connor. With two titles in competition, the British breakout stars with Paul Mescal in Oliver Hermanus’s The History of Sound and leads The Mastermind, the coveted next picture from Kelly Reichardt, mastermind in her own right. The writer-director behind First Cow, Meek’s Cutoff, and 2022 competition title Showing Up keeps her sights on the art world but takes on the perspective of the thief. The ‘70s-set film follows a carpenter-turned-amateur-art-thief (O’Connor) who has to go on the run after a job runs awry. – Luke H.

Miroirs No. 3 (Christian Petzold)

Quietly producing some of the best films of the 21st century (e.g. Phoenix, Transit, Undine, and Afire), German writer-director Christian Petzold doesn’t seek traditional fame. The enigmatic storyteller seems almost galvanized by the lack of spotlight on his projects, instead known for a restrained, meditative, and singularly alluring style. Premiering in the most coveted sidebar––Quinzaine, aka Directors’ Fortnight, where modern greats like The Lighthouse and The Souvenir Part II riled up the entire town––Miroirs No. 3 is bound to make waves if it holds water with the rest of his filmography. It’s a great sign already that Paula Beer, lead or co-lead of his past three features, stars in the film, which follows a young music student forced to reshape her life after her boyfriend dies in a car accident. – Luke H.

Nouvelle Vague (Richard Linklater)

2025 is the year of Richard Linklater’s double-bill: after premiering the melancholy gem Blue Moon only a few months ago at the Berlinale, the esteemed director has one more surprise in store. Billed as a comedy, Nouvelle Vague peeks behind the scenes of Jean-Luc Godard’s classic À bout de souffle (Breathless) and is said to have been shot in both black-and-white and the 4:3 ratio––a first for the Oscar-nominated filmmaker. – Savina P.

Resurrection (Bi Gan)

It looks like Cannes was saving our most-anticipated premiere for last: it was just announced today that Bi Gan’s sci-fi detective tale Resurrection has been added to the main competition. With a score by M83 and cast including Jackson Yee, Shu Qi, Mark Chao, Li Gengxi, Huan Jue, and Chen Yongzhong, it has a new synopsis: “In a world where humanity has lost the ability to dream, one creature remains entranced by the fading illusions of the dreamworld. This monster, adrift in reverie, clings to visions no one else can see––until a woman appears. Gifted with the rare power to perceive these illusions for what they truly are, she chooses to enter the monster’s dreams, determined to uncover the truth that lies hidden within.” – Jordan R.

Romería (Carla Simon)

Carla Simon’s follow-up to Golden Bear winner Alcarràs is expected to be a moving, ethereal conclusion to the loose family trilogy that started with Summer 1993. Romería is likely a beautiful film to behold, with Hélène Louvart (La Chimera) behind the camera, painting this story of familial reckoning with the brush strokes of nostalgia and concealed emotions. The film is a tribute to Simón’s parents, both of whom died of AIDS-related illnesses when she was young. – Savina P.

The Secret Agent (Kleber Mendonça Filho)

Following up his documentary Pictures of Ghosts, Kleber Mendonça Filho returns to Cannes with his first narrative feature since 2019’s Bacurau. The ’70s-set political thriller The Secret Agent stars Brazilian icon Wagner Moura (Elite Squad, Civil War) as Marcelo, a university professor on the run from his past in the final years of the Brazilian military dictatorship. Mendonça Filho showed great strength in balancing a few different tones with his last, John Carpenter-inspired feature, and we look forward to seeing him venture into a new arena here. – Jordan R.

Sentimental Value (Joachim Trier)

We’ve waited long enough for Renate Reinsve’s reunion with Joachim Trier after the tremendous success of The Worst Person in the World, for which Reinsve bagged Cannes’ Best Actress award in 2021. Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning also star in this portrait of a family in Trier’s beloved Oslo, where two generations of artists have to come to terms with the past and make room for art in the process of healing. – Savina P.

Sound of Falling (Mascha Schilinski)

Perhaps you may be hearing Mascha Schilinski’s name for the first time, but the German filmmaker’s sophomore feature is surely on everyone’s radar this Cannes. Dark Blue Girl marked her debut at the 2017 Berlinale––a quiet, simmering drama about a nuclear family coming undone to come together again, and now Sound of Falling will compete for the Palme d’Or. Arriving with strong early word, the new film criss-crosses between four women in a small border town over the span of decades and is already a strong contender for most-anticipated title. – Savina P.

Yes (Nadav Lapid)

If there’s one guiding voice we need to hear from about the Israel-Palestine conflict, it’s Nadav Lapid. The incredibly complex Tel Aviv native has built a powerful, insurgent Israeli filmography that not only pushes back against the entitled violence of modern military leaders but takes the next step in calling out the people of Israel to embody a more critical, anti-nationalistic philosophy that doesn’t incidentally repeat and reflect human history at its worst. For centering on a jazz musician tasked with re-writing Israel’s national anthem in the wake of the October 7 attacks, expect a movie that pisses off half of the world and leaves the other singing its nuanced praises. – Luke H.

Vie Privée (Rebecca Zlotowski)

Coming off a career best in Other People’s Children, French writer-director Rebecca Zlotowski re-teamed with Children co-writer Anne Berest (who also penned 2021’s Happening) and longtime co-writer Gaëlle Macé (behind Zlotowski’s debut Dear Prudence) for what’s shaping up to be one of the most-anticipated out-of-competition titles, which is saying a lot for a category that includes the final reckoning of Mission: Impossible and new Spike Lee joint Highest 2 Lowest. It’s led by Jodie Foster in full Francophile mode as Lilian Steiner––a renowned psychiatrist who investigates what she believes to be the murder of one her patients––in an otherwise French-speaking cast filled out by Children lead Virginie Efira and first-time collaborator Mathieu Amalric. – Luke H.

Honorable mentions

With an expansive lineup, including a number of sidebars, there’s much more that nearly made the list. Since Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning and The Phoenician Scheme arrive so soon after their Cannes premieres, we left them off the main slate, but consider both among our most-anticipated premieres. The Dardennes will return to competition with The Young Mother’s Home, while Robin Campillo took over Enzo from the late Laurent Cantent, who shares a posthumous directing credit. In terms of directorial debuts from actors, Kristen Stewart’s The Chronology of Water, Scarlett Johansson’s Eleanor the Great, and Harris Dickinson’s Urchin have our curiosity.

Lav Diaz returns with the relatively lean Magellan starring Gael Garciá Bernal, while Japanese director Koji Fukada is back with Love on Trial and Sergei Loznitsa will premiere the historical drama Two Prosecutors. Raoul Peck is back with an undoubtedly timely documentary on George Orwell. Michael Angelo Covino made a Cannes splash with The Climb; he’s returned with Splitsville, starring Dakota Johnson. After her Oscar-shortlisted Playground, Laura Wandel will open Critics’ Week with Adam’s Interest, starring Anamaria Vartolomei and Léa Drucker. After earning much acclaim for Plan 75, Chie Hayakawa returns with Renoir in the main competition.

In terms of discoveries, you’ll want to have Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s A Useful Ghost and Diego Céspedes’ The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo on your radar. We also loved Lucio Castro’s debut The End of the Century, so we’re curious about his second film of the year, Drunken Noodles, premiering in the ACID sidebar. We’re also intrigued by Harry Lighton’s Pillion starring Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling.

Last but not least, the Cannes Classics lineup is full of treasures well worth exploring.

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The post Our 20-Most Anticipated 2025 Cannes Film Festival Premieres first appeared on The Film Stage.