The 7 Most Controversial Cannes Film Festival Selections of 2025

The Cannes Film Festival, probably the most prestigious film festival in the world, runs from May 13 to 24, 2025 for its 78th run. So many incredible movies are set to premiere and compete for awards during this less than two-week-long festival.

While most are expected to stun us, there are a few with controversial topics and rumors. But which ones? Click through the slideshow to discover the 7 most controversial Cannes Film Festival selections of 2025, along with a few honorable mentions from years prior.

Before we dive into the current controversial films, let's take it a step back. 2025 isn't the first year to introduce controversial films.

Not all controversial films fail. Many people enjoyed "Crimes of the Future," however, plenty of others walked out of the screening.

• Director: David Cronenberg
• Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux and Kristen Stewart

Audience members were not happy when the 1990 film, "Wild at Heart" won the Palme d'Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival. Actually, many members of the crowd booed.

• Director: David Lynch
• Stars: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, and Willem Dafoe

David Cronenberg is a popular name at the Cannes Film Festival. He is very good at creating films with polarizing reviews. Some people love it, while others aren't afraid to boo or walk out during screenings. Even with the walkouts, "Crash" won the Jury Prize.

• Director: David Cronenberg
• Stars: James Spader, Deborah Kara Unger, Elias Koteas, Holly Hunter and Rosanna Arquette

These films premiering at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival are potentially controversial, or dealing with controversial topics. Check them out and see if they make your list of must-sees!

"Leave One Day," also known as "Partir un jour," opened the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. While the film isn't super explicit or tackles controversial topics, it's the ratings that raise some eyebrows. For an opening movie, it has a lot of mixed critical reviews, hovering at a 6.4 on Rotten Tomatoes.

• Director: Amélie Bonnin
• Stars: Juliette Armanet, Bastien Bouillon, François Rollin, and Tewfik Jallab

Another potentially controversial Cannes film is "The Phoenician Scheme." The film is set to release at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2025, before it hits theaters in the U.S. The film has a dark and comedic tone, mixing crime and religion.

• Director: Wes Anderson
• Stars: Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, and Tom Hanks

Movies with children in adult situations or doing adult things, regardless if intentionally, can be controversial. "Alpha" tells the story of a troubled young teenager who returns home with a strange tattoo. The film is set to premiere on May 19, 2025, at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

• Director: Julia Ducournau
• Stars: Mélissa Boros, Golshifteh Farahani, Tahar Rahim, Emma Mackey and Finnegan Oldfield

"It Was Just an Accident" is controversial because the director, Jafar Panahi, made the film without official filming permission from the Iranian authorities. This director is known for being outspokenly critical of the Islamic Republic. In the past, he's been imprisoned for his views. He was banned from working for 20 years but kept working in film.

• Director: Jafar Panahi
• Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, and Ebrahim Azizi

This film is controversial for its location with the current war/conflict in the Gaza Strip. "Once Upon a Time in Gaza" is set to premiere at the festival.

• Directors: Arab Nasser and Tarzan Nasser
• Stars: Majd Eid, Nader Abd Alhay, and Ramzi Maqdisi

What is more controversial than cults and religion? Both are explored in the comedy "Honey, Don't!"

• Director: Ethan Cohen
• Stars: Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Charlie Day, Billy Eichner, and Chris Evans

"Sons of the Neon Night" was one of the most expensive films produced in Hong Kong, costing about HK$400 million. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, producers took many years to complete it. Originally, producers expected the film to released in 2021.

• Director: Juno Mak
• Stars: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Sean Lau, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Louis Koo, and Gao Yuanyuan