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The Cannes Film Festival 2025 is set to run from May 13 to 24, and anticipation is soaring as several highly anticipated films are competing for the prestigious Palme d’Or. This year’s Competition lineup features big-name directors like Wes Anderson, Julia Ducournau, and Lynne Ramsay, and all eyes are on their latest work.
Wes Anderson returns to Cannes with The Phoenician Scheme, a stylized spy adventure featuring a stacked cast that includes Benicio Del Toro, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, and more. The film, shot in Germany, is co-produced by Studio Babelsberg and is slated for release in North America on May 30, with a global rollout starting June 6. With Anderson’s signature visual style and eccentric storytelling, this entry is already being talked about as a major awards contender.
Lynne Ramsay’s Die, My Love, adapted from Ariana Harwicz’s novel, is generating serious buzz. The film shifts the book’s setting from France to rural America and explores the story of a woman unraveling under the weight of love and psychological struggle. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, who also co-produces with Martin Scorsese, alongside Robert Pattinson, LaKeith Stanfield, and Sissy Spacek, it’s being positioned as a raw, emotionally intense front-runner.
Julia Ducournau, who made waves with her Palme d’Or-winning film Titane in 2021, is back in Competition with Alpha. This film, described as her most personal yet, tells the story of a 13-year-old girl whose life changes dramatically after getting a tattoo. The cast includes Tahar Rahim, Golshifteh Farahani, and newcomer Melissa Boros. The film has already been acquired for North American distribution by Neon, hinting at its strong potential.
Oliver Hermanus presents The History of Sound, a World War I love story between two American men, played by Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal. This film marks Hermanus’s return to Cannes after previously winning the Queer Palm. Backed by Film4 and produced by a mix of international studios, it’s expected to be a moving and beautifully shot exploration of intimacy and identity during wartime. Mubi holds the North American rights, while Focus Features and Universal handle global distribution.
Oliver Laxe makes his Cannes Competition debut with Sirat, a mysterious drama about a father and son searching for a missing daughter and sister at a rave in Morocco. Known for his meditative, visually poetic films, Laxe’s latest project is backed by major producers, including Pedro Almodóvar’s El Deseo. With its emotionally resonant storyline and Laxe’s distinctive style, this film is quietly becoming one of the festival’s most talked-about entries.
These five films are already generating strong buzz and shaping up to be the ones to watch as the festival kicks off.