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This article was automatically translated from the original Turkish version.
The 78th Cannes Film Festival is the 78th edition of the traditional Cannes Film Festival. It was held from 13 to 24 May 2025 in the city of Cannes, located in the south of France in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. The opening ceremony took place on 13 May 2025 at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, one of the city’s iconic venues.
78th Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony, 13 May 2025 -Festival de Cannes
The 78th Cannes Film Festival began on Tuesday, 13 May 2025, in the French city of Cannes. The opening ceremony was held at the Grand Théâtre Lumière. French actor Laurent Lafitte hosted the event, opening it with a dedication to actress Émilie Dequenne. In his speech, Lafitte called for inspiration from the courage of figures from cinema history including James Stewart, Jean Gabin, Josephine Baker, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Gere, Isabelle Adjani, Rock Hudson, Adèle Haenel and Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
During the ceremony, the jury for the 78th Festival, chaired by French actress Juliette Binoche, was introduced. In her speech on stage, Binoche emphasized the daily struggles of artists worldwide and their transformation of these struggles into art. She also paid tribute to Fatma Hasune, the 25-year-old Palestinian journalist who lost her life in Gaza on 16 April 2025. It was noted that Hasune had learned the day before that she had been selected to appear in a documentary screened at the Cannes Film Festival. Binoche said, “Fatma should have been with us this evening.”
Jury members of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, 13 May 2025 - Anadolu Ajansı
The ceremony also included a tribute to director David Lynch, who passed away in January 2025. Artist Mylène Farmer delivered a special musical performance in his honor. Later in the evening, American actor Leonardo DiCaprio took the stage, following which the Honorary Golden Palm award was presented to Robert De Niro. In his acceptance speech, De Niro shared his views on artistic freedom, diversity and democracy.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, director Quentin Tarantino took the stage to officially open the 78th edition of the festival. The opening ceremony was broadcast live by France 2 and Brut. On the same evening, the French film Partir un jour (Leave One Day), directed by Amélie Bonnin, was screened as the opening film. The film was simultaneously shown in cinemas across France.
American actor Robert De Niro and his partner Tiffany Chen at the opening ceremony of the 78th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, 13 May 2025 - Anadolu Ajansı
The jury for the feature film competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival was chaired by French actress Juliette Binoche. The jury consisted of nine members, bringing together cinema professionals from different countries. The members of the jury under Juliette Binoche’s chairmanship are:
The jury members evaluated the competition films throughout the festival and determined the award recipients at the closing ceremony on the evening of 24 May 2025. Following the evaluation process, awards were presented across multiple categories, including the festival’s most prestigious prize, the Golden Palm. The jury conducted its assessments through special screenings at the Grand Théâtre Lumière and closed-door sessions.
For the 78th Cannes Film Festival, a total of 22 feature films were selected to compete for the Golden Palm. These works were presented as part of the festival’s official competition selection, representing diverse genres and filmmakers from around the world.
Notable films in the competition selection include:
In addition to these productions, audiences also encountered directors’ debut films, documentary content, and experimental works in various sections. Among those making their directorial debut in the festival’s “Un Certain Regard” section were Harris Dickinson (Urchin), Kristen Stewart (The Chronology of Water), and Scarlett Johansson (Eleanor the Great).
Among the special non-competition screenings, the restored version of Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush was presented to cinema audiences in commemoration of the film’s 100th anniversary. Throughout the festival, all competition films were screened at the Palais des Festivals, and on 24 May, award-winning films were re-screened. Screenings, press conferences, photo sessions, and red carpet events during the festival were made available to audiences through Festival TV via national broadcasters and online platforms in France.
The 78th Cannes Film Festival was organized as an event that highlighted not only developments in international cinema but also various political and social themes throughout 2025. From its opening day, cultural commemorative events and politically charged messages were incorporated into the festival program.
On 13 May 2025, during the opening ceremony, jury president Juliette Binoche honored Palestinian journalist Fatma Hasune, who lost her life in Gaza on 16 April 2025, on stage. Binoche announced that she had learned the documentary Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, in which Hasune appeared in a role just one day before her death, would be screened at Cannes, and publicly declared Hasune’s name.
On the same day, the documentary featuring Hasune in the lead role was presented in the festival’s “Un Certain Regard” section. The film premiered for audiences on 15 May 2025. During the festival, it was also reported that attendees at the screening of the documentary The Six Billion Dollar Man, about Julian Assange, wore T-shirts listing the names of 4,986 children killed in Gaza.
Julian Assange wears a T-shirt printed with the names of those killed in the ongoing attacks in Gaza, 20 May 2025 – Anadolu Agency
Shortly before the festival, approximately 400 film artists and industry figures signed an open letter condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza. The letter stated, “Silence in the face of destruction and death unfolding before our eyes must be broken,” and included signatories such as Javier Bardem, Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon, Viggo Mortensen, Richard Gere, and Pedro Almodóvar.
At the festival’s opening, a special screening section was dedicated to Ukraine. Three documentaries were presented to audiences: Zelensky, Bernard-Henri Lévy’s Notre Guerre, and 2000 Meters to Andriivka, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov. These screenings were presented in the festival’s official statement as an example of the role journalism and art play in narrating conflict in Europe.
On the final day of the festival, Saturday 24 May 2025, a widespread power outage occurred in Cannes and the surrounding Alpes-Maritimes region. According to an announcement by RTE, France’s national electricity grid operator, the failure of a high-voltage line left approximately 160,000 households without electricity.
A widespread power outage affecting Cannes, host city of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, and surrounding areas in France’s Alpes-Maritimes region, 24 May 2025 – Anadolu Agency
The incident, which caused the outage, occurred following a fire at a transformer station near the city of Cannes during nighttime hours. Laurent Hottiaux, speaking on behalf of the Alpes-Maritimes Prefecture, stated the incident was being treated as a “serious damaging act” targeting the energy infrastructure. French gendarmerie authorities announced they had launched an investigation to determine whether the fire was deliberately set.
The power outage partially affected the festival program. Organizers confirmed that an alternative power source had been activated at the Palais des Festivals and that all screenings proceeded as scheduled. The closing ceremony began at the previously set time of 18:40 and was broadcast live by France 2 and Brut. The event’s technical infrastructure was supported by generator systems, and no disruptions occurred during the program.
The closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival took place on Saturday, 24 May 2025, at the Grand Théâtre Lumière. French actor Laurent Lafitte hosted the event. During the ceremony, awards in various categories including the Golden Palm were presented by the jury chaired by Juliette Binoche.
Norwegian director and screenwriter Joachim Trier, after winning the Grand Prize for his film Sentimental Value (Affeksjonsverdi) at the closing ceremony of the 78th Cannes Film Festival held in southern France, participates in a photocall with the film’s actors, 24 May 2025 – Anadolu Ajansı
Golden Palm (Palme d’Or): Awarded to Iranian director Jafar Panahi for his film Un Simple Accident. The film revolves around a group of characters with prison backgrounds who come face to face with someone they believe tortured them. In his speech at the award ceremony, Panahi called for unity among citizens in Iran and abroad who hold differing views.
Jafar Panahi receives the Golden Palm for his film Un simple accident (A Simple Accident) at the closing ceremony of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, 24 May 2025 – Anadolu Ajansı
Grand Prize: Awarded to Sentimental Value (Affeksjonsverdi), directed by Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier. The film portrays the protagonist’s efforts to mend his relationship with his daughter, who is also a director.
Jury Prize: Jointly awarded to two films: Sirat by Spanish director Oliver Laxe and Sound of Falling by German director Mascha Schilinski.
Best Director: Awarded to Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho for his film The Secret Agent (O Agente Secreto). Wagner Moura, who played the lead role in the same film, also won the Best Actor award.
Best Actress: Awarded to French actress Nadia Melliti for her performance in La Petite Dernière, directed by Hafsia Herzi.
French actress Nadia Melliti at the event following her win for Best Actress for the film La Petite Derniere (The Little Sister) at the closing ceremony of the 78th Cannes Film Festival held in southern France, 24 May 2025 – Anadolu Ajansı
Best Screenplay: Awarded to Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne for their screenplay for Jeunes Mères.
Special Prize: Awarded to Chinese director Bi Gan for his film Resurrection (Kuang Ye Shi Dai), which explores the theme of the end of the universe.
Following the awards ceremony, Jafar Panahi’s speech emphasizing unity and freedom at the Golden Palm ceremony sparked various reactions in Iran. Some state-linked media outlets in Iran labeled the award given to Panahi as “political.” In response to a message of support for Panahi posted by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on X, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned France’s ambassador in Tehran to condemn the statement. Iran described France’s remarks as “interference in its internal affairs.”
Despite an electrical outage on the final day of the festival, the closing ceremony took place on schedule and all awards were presented by the jury members. The Golden Palm-winning film Un Simple Accident was screened again for audiences immediately after the awards ceremony in the Grand Théâtre Lumière hall.
The 78th Cannes Film Festival was held in Cannes, France, from May 13 to 24, 2025. The festival opened with a tribute to Fatma Hasune and documentary screenings dedicated to Ukraine. Twenty-two films competed in the main competition, and the Palme dOr was awarded to Jafar Panahi for his film Un Simple Accident. Despite an electricity outage on the closing day, the ceremony proceeded as planned, and the festival concluded amid various political reflections.
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May 14, 2025
Opening Ceremony and Festival Launch
May 14, 2025
Jury and Responsibilities
May 14, 2025
Competition Films and Screenings
May 26, 2025
Political and Cultural Agenda at the Festival
May 26, 2025
Power Outage and Technical Failures
May 26, 2025
Awards and Closing Ceremony
May 26, 2025
Diplomatic Developments After the Closing Ceremony