Don’t Miss These Highly Anticipated Cannes Film Festival Selections of 2025

With 77 film festivals prior to this one, the Cannes International Film Festival remains the foremost leader in international film selections. In 2025, the 78th Annual Cannes Film Festival is expected to feature several highly anticipated films during the time period of May 13th-24th. Genres and topics vary, but one thing is certain: it's difficult for you to see all of these films, regardless of whether or not you're in attendance!

That's why 247 Tempo has compiled a list of the most anticipated and promising releases of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. From official selections to special screenings, these films have the international movie world buzzing.

Here are the Cannes Film Festival Selections you can't miss.

Films chosen for the Official Selection category are exactly as they sound: officially selected to compete! These featured films are among the top most anticipated of the year.

Richard Linklater's homage to the French New Wave and his first film shot entirely in French. It documents the making of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless.

• Director: Richard Linklater
• Writers: Holly Gent, Vincent Palmo Jr., Michèle Pétin, Laetitia Masson
• Cast: Guillaume Marbeck (Jean-Luc Godard), Zoey Deutch (Jean Seberg), Aubry Dullin (Jean-Paul Belmondo)
• Cinematography: David Chambille
• Editing: Catherine Schwartz
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Language: French, English

Carla Simón's drama about a young woman uncovering her family's past in Galicia, Spain. Full of symbolism, abstraction, and nostalgia.

• Director & Writer: Carla Simón
• Producer: María Zamora
• Cast: Llúcia Garcia, Mitch Martín, Tristán Ulloa
• Cinematography: Hélène Louvart
• Editing: Sergio Jiménez, Ana Pfaff
• Music: Ernest Pipó
• Runtime: 115 minutes
• Languages: Spanish, Catalan, Galician, French

Ari Aster's contemporary Western about a small-town standoff in New Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic and how easily we turn against each other.

• Director & Writer: Ari Aster
• Producers: Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen
• Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Austin Butler
• Cinematography: Darius Khondji
• Editing: Lucian Johnston
• Music: Daniel Pemberton, Bobby Krlic
• Runtime: 145 minutes
• Language: English

Julia Ducournau's film exploring the impact of AIDS in 1980s France through the lens of a troubled 13-year-old and her single mother.

• Director & Writer: Julia Ducournau
• Producers: Jean des Forêts, Amelie Jacqu, Éric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer
• Cast: Tahar Rahim, Golshifteh Farahani, Mélissa Boros, Emma Mackey
• Cinematography: Ruben Impens
• Editing: Jean-Christophe Bouzy
• Music: Jim Williams
• Runtime: 128 minutes
• Language: French

Joachim Trier's comedy-drama about family dynamics and personal growth. Set in an Oslo home that's housed the family for generations and full of unprocessed memories.

• Director: Joachim Trier
• Writers: Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt
• Producers: Maria Ekerhovd, Andrea Berentsen Ottmar
• Cast: Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, Cory Michael Smith
• Cinematography: Kasper Tuxen
• Editing: Olivier Bugge Coutté
• Music: Hania Rani
• Runtime: 135 minutes
• Languages: Norwegian, English

Lynne Ramsay's rural American comedy-horror starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. A story of postpartum depression and a mother battling her inner demons.

• Director: Lynne Ramsay
• Producers: Andrea Calderwood, Excellent Cadaver
• Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson

Spike Lee's adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's crime thriller, featuring Denzel Washington. Neo-noir style, illustrating a life and death moral dilemma.

• Director: Spike Lee
• Cast: Denzel Washington
• Distributor: A24

Jim Jarmusch's family comedy-drama starring Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver. Estranged siblings are forced to confront their pasts together, whether they want to or not.

• Director: Jim Jarmusch
• Cast: Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver

Kelly Reichardt's Vietnam War-era heist movie featuring John Magaro and Josh O'Connor. A group of thieves attempts to steal and hang onto multiple priceless pieces of art, but they end up with more than they bargained for.

• Director: Kelly Reichardt
• Cast: John Magaro, Josh O'Connor

These Cannes Film Festival selections are very important, offering what the official selection jury considers to be glimpses into the future of films. They can receive awards and are generally chosen as films audiences should watch out for as time goes on.

Neeraj Ghaywan's film about friendship in the face of workplace competition and strained boundaries, starring Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter.

• Director: Neeraj Ghaywan
• Cast: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khatter
• Executive Producer: Martin Scorsese

Kristen Stewart's directorial debut, adapting Lidia Yuknavitch's memoir. An Olympic swimming hopeful flees one unfortunate situation only to find another.

• Director: Kristen Stewart
• Cast: Imogen Poots, Thora Birch

Scarlett Johansson's first feature as a director, starring June Squibb and Chiwetel Ejiofor. A woman relocates to New York City at the age of 90 for a fresh start.

• Director: Scarlett Johansson
• Cast: June Squibb, Chiwetel Ejiofor

While these films earn their debut in a fantastic venue, they are not eligible to compete in the main competition. Still, premieres like these create a large amount of buzz among guests of the festival!

Kirill Serebrennikov's historical drama about the Nazi doctor's post-war life.

• Director & Writer: Kirill Serebrennikov
• Cast: August Diehl, Max Bretschneider, David Ruland
• Runtime: 135 minutes
• Language: German

These films are not eligible for any awards, but they are still highly anticipated (and most definitely coming soon to a theater near you).

The final installment of the action franchise, directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise.

• Director: Christopher McQuarrie
• Cast: Tom Cruise

Wes Anderson's father-daughter spy comedy featuring an ensemble cast as only Wes Anderson can direct.

• Director: Wes Anderson
• Cast: Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson

These are films not eligible for the main competition. Whether they are restored versions, films already released at other competitions, or adaptations of existing films, these movies are worth seeing even if they aren't eligible for an award.

Satyajit Ray's 1970 classic, where reality doesn't matter in the wilderness, presented in a restored version.

• Director: Satyajit Ray
• Original Cast: Sharmila Tagore

Anupam Kher's directorial debut, showcased at the Marché du Film. A coming-of-age story about a girl with an incredible spirit, relocating to the mountains.

• Director: Anupam Kher