PARIS (AP) 鈥� New films from , , and will compete for the Palme d鈥橭r at the , organizers announced Thursday.
Coming off a 2024 edition that produced the as well as a number of Oscar contenders in 鈥淓milia P茅rez,鈥� 鈥淭he Substance" and 鈥淭he Apprentice," the French film festival responded with a 2025 lineup full of big-name auteurs.
Thierry Fr茅maux, Cannes鈥� artistic director, announced the selections in a news conference in Paris with festival president Iris Knobloch.
Asked if he was under pressure after producing so many Oscars contenders last year, Fr茅maux said the festival organizers feel like an athlete putting his title back on the line.
鈥淲hat happened last year was great," he said. 鈥淎nd what happened the year before was great. The last seven, eight years, Cannes and the films of Cannes were great.鈥�
Entries include Aster鈥檚 鈥淓ddington,鈥� a pandemic-set Western starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone; Anderson鈥檚 鈥淭he Phoenician Scheme," starring Benicio Del Toro as a European profiteer and Linklater's appropriately French-language 鈥淣ouvelle Vague,鈥� about Jean-Luc Godard and the French New Wave.
Julia Ducournau, whose 鈥淭itane鈥� , making Ducournau only the second female filmmaker to ever receive Cannes鈥� top honor, will return to the festival with the 1980s New York-set 鈥淎lpha,鈥� about an 11-year-old with a parent who has AIDS.
Several high-profile films that some had hoped would show up in Cannes weren't announced Tuesday in Paris, including Terrence Malick鈥檚 long-awaited Jesus drama 鈥淭he Way of the Wind,鈥� Spike Lee鈥檚 Akira Kurosawa remake 鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest,鈥� and Paul Thomas Anderson鈥檚 鈥淥ne Battle After Another.鈥� New films by Jim Jarmusch and Kristen Stewart had also been expected in the Cannes lineup.
Asked about their absence, Fremaux declined to comment, saying he wanted to instead focus on the pictures which made the cut. He, however, said more films could be later added to the selection.
An hour after the press conference in Paris, however, Lee said on Instagram that 鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest鈥� is, indeed, going to Cannes, and screening out of competition. Representatives for the festival later confirmed that Lee's post was accurate, noting that the film wasn't announced in the press conference because Cannes was awaiting confirmation that the movie's star, , would be in attendance. With that confirmed, 鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest鈥� will premiere on May 19.
Fremaux altogether announced 19 films vying for the Palme d鈥橭r, six of which are directed by women.
Two films starring Josh O鈥機onnor made it into the competition lineup: Oliver Hermanus鈥� 鈥淭he History of Sound,鈥� co-starring Paul Mescal, and Kelly Reichardt鈥檚 鈥淭he Mastermind,鈥� an art heist film set during the Vietnam War.
Other previously Cannes regulars coming back include two-time Palme winners Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The Belgian filmmaking brothers鈥� latest is titled 鈥淵oung Mothers.鈥� Joachim Trier, whose was a highlight of the 2021 Cannes, is back in competition with 鈥淪entimental Value,鈥� which likewise stars Renate Reinsve.
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, during the release of his last, secretly made film, 2022's 鈥淣o Bears," and not released , will unveil his latest film, 鈥淚t Was Just an Accident.鈥�
Playing in the festival鈥檚 Un Certain Regard sidebar is Scarlett Johansson鈥檚 directorial debut, 鈥淓leanor the Great,鈥� starring June Squibb. Harris Dickinson, , will also premiere his directorial debut, 鈥淯rchin,鈥� in the same section.
Bono will also be coming to the Croisette for the premiere of 鈥淏ono: Stories of Surrender,鈥� Andrew Dominik's film of the singer's one-man stage show. That will play in Cannes' special screening section.
that 鈥淢ission Impossible: The Final Reckoning鈥� will launch at the festival, which three years ago bestowed an honorary Palme d鈥橭r on Tom Cruise. This year, Robert De Niro is set to receive one during the festival鈥檚 opening ceremony.
Following in the footsteps of Greta Gerwig, Juliette Binoche that decides this year鈥檚 Palme d鈥橭r. Knobloch said it's the first time in 60 years that two women succeed each other in this role.
The festival runs May 13-24. The opening night film, playing out of competition, will be 鈥淟eave One Day,鈥� the first movie by French director Am茅lie Bonnin.
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Coyle reported from New York.
Samuel Petrequin And Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
