It served as an apt conclusion for a festival that reverberated with political tensions and upheavals locally. As the 2025 Cannes Film Festival drew to a close on its final day, participants were met with a five-hour
regional power outage
The town was shut down due to an arson attack on a village substation. No arrests were made until electricity was back online.
Should the aim have been to undermine the globe’s premier film event, the arsonists fell short. The festival venue boasts its own power supply, ensuring screenings continued throughout the day. No incident would mar the glitzy red carpet ceremony leading up to the awarding of the Palme d’Or.
The winners
This year, the Palme d’Or was awarded to Iranian dissident Jafar Panahi for his film.
It Was Simply an Accident
— about a former political prisoner who identifies the voice of a client at his auto shop as that of his tormentor — is inspired by his time behind bars and the narratives shared with him by fellow prisoners. Excitingly, Panahi managed to receive his accolade personally after being allowed to travel by Iranian officials.
for the first time in 14 years
.
While he has theoretically been barred from making films, it hasn’t deterred him.
It Was Simply an Accident
It combines elements of drama and acerbic comedy, building a series of absurdist situations as a ex-convict reaches out to his past allies to determine if he has identified the correct individual. This movie is slated for screening at the Sydney Film Festival in June, followed by broader distribution across Australia later on.
The Secret Agent
, directed by Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho, similarly explores life under a oppressive regime. Notable actor Wagner Moura, known for
Narcos
Fame received the Best Actor award for his role as a technology specialist attempting to escape the country, whereas Filho was honored with the Director’s Prize.
The festival’s second award, The Grand Prix, was bestowed upon Joachim Trier’s work.
Sentimental Value
, centers around an egocentric film director (Stellen Skarsgård) who aims to persuade his classical-actress daughter (Renate Reinsve) to star in a movie adapted from his own life story. Skarsgård delivers a captivating performance in a film that surprised audiences by securing the Palme d’Or.
All in all, it turned out to be an excellent event for young females. The Dardenne Brothers’ work remained noteworthy.
Young Mothers
, focuses on a group of females at a Belgian refuge for unmarried moms and took home the prize for best screenplay.
The Little Sister
Star Nadia Melluti secured the Best Actress award for her role as a teenager from a conventional Moroccan household in France, discovering her attraction to women. Additionally, the outstanding German film was recognized.
Sound of Falling
By Mascha Schilinski, concerning four women residing on a distant farm across various time periods, jointly received the jury award alongside
Sirat
Directed by French filmmaker Olivier Laxe, this film begins with a party in the Moroccan desert, where the drug-fueled revellers remain unaware that conflict looms nearby.
And there were many other noteworthy sights, despite not winning any awards. Be sure to keep an eye out for works by Julie Ducournau.
Alpha
, her follow-up to
Titane
And equally bizarrely strange;
Romería
, Carla Simon’s semi-autobiographical exploration into the lives of her parents, who passed away from AIDS in 1980s Spain; and the magnificent
Nouvelle Vague
Richard Linklater’s rendition in French of the creation process behind Jean-Luc Godard’s seminal movie
Breathless
. One of the highlights at Cannes was watching the young French actor Guillaume Marbeck portray Godard, always wearing sunglasses and smoking incessantly, much like an old steamship.
Trading places
Three first-time directorial efforts from well-known actors were showcased across different segments of the festival: a clear indication of a growing pattern. Scarlett Johansson’s
Eleanor the Great
Starring the 95-year-old actress June Squibb as an American-born Jewish woman pretending to be a Holocaust survivor to forge new friendships, this film failed to impress audiences: critics deemed it overly sentimental, woefully insensitive regarding the importance of being recognized as a survivor, or in some cases, both criticisms applied.
Kristen Stewart’s
The Chronology of Water
A young woman’s anguished tale of survival was emotionally intense yet structurally intricate — characterized by swift edits, unconventional perspectives, and convoluted timelines — making it unsuitable for mainstream theaters. The one that garnered the most praise was
Urchin
by Harris Dickinson – the muscle-bound guy from
Triangle of Sadness
– whose movie showcased an impressive performance by Frank Dillane as a London homeless person. Make sure not to miss that one.
Political realities
Robert De Niro kicked off the festival with his performance on opening night. During his acceptance speech for the honorary Palme d Or, he took a jab at the ”
philistine president
of the United States where individuals ‘are battling fiercely for the democracy we previously took for granted’.
President Donald Trump’s mooted
100 percent duties on movies
“produced in distant countries” did not appear to diminish the market, which thrives on selling films globally and facilitating co-production agreements. However, this garnered criticism from director Wes Anderson during a press conference for his characteristically fanciful movie.
The Phoenician Scheme
.
The tariff is intriguing due to the 100 percent figure. It seems like Trump is suggesting he will claim all the funds,” he remarked sarcastically. He also pondered if a film might get detained at customs. “It just doesn’t work that way.
Cannes reaffirmed its backing for Ukraine by dedicating an entire day to documentaries highlighting its ongoing struggle against the Russian invasion. Additionally, over 900 actors and directors endorsed their support through signatures.
open letter
Expressing shame over their sector’s “inactivity” amid the blockade, they criticized the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza.
During the inaugural evening, Jury President Juliette Binoche honored the photojournalist.
Fatima Hassouna
, who died in an Israeli airstrike the following day after discovering that a documentary about her efforts,
Place Your Spirit on Your Palm and Move Forward
, was selected to be screened at Cannes. A portrait of Hassouna was displayed in the press room throughout the duration of the festival.
However, the most striking political figure might have been Julian Assange, who stood before photographers clad in a white T-shirt emblazoned with “Stop Israel” along with the names of 4986 Palestinian children killed in Gaza. His appearance at Cannes was meant to back Eugene Jarecki’s documentary about his efforts.
The Six Billion Dollar Man.
Cannes craziness
Prior to the power outage, the most significant mishap on the Croisette occurred initially when violent gusts knocked over one of the iconic palm trees along the Riviera beach.
hurting a passing Japanese filmmaker
.
In Cannes, nature doesn’t typically play a big role, yet an uplifting tale emerged regarding one of the city’s most luxurious accommodations—the Majestic Hotel. They’ve brought in a falconer along with their team of birds of prey to deter seagulls from attacking celebrities’ meals and prevent incidents like seabirds flying away with whole lobsters.
Shark attack
Although Australia didn’t have a film in contention, Sean Byrne’s gory genre fest did make an appearance.
Dangerous Animals
enjoyed a spectacular debut at the parallel event of the Directors’ Fortnight prior to its upcoming Australian release next month. Women were thrilled as Jai Courtney, portraying an ocker antagonist fixated on shark behavior, threatened the captive victim he had lured by dangling them from his charter vessel’s edge.
“People shrieking—it’s every horror director’s aspiration,” Byrne commented later. Any director would cherish such spontaneous acclaim, which lasted an impressive twelve minutes—unlike the customary clapping during formal film festivals.
Discover the upcoming TV shows, streaming series, and movies you’ll want to watch.
The Watchlist
delivered every Thursday.
