Cannes Festival 2025: Rumors and predictions, the films expected to be selected

As the Cannes 2025 selection is about to be unveiled on April 10, we take stock of the rumors and give you our picks for the films that could be selected!

The Cannes Film Festival 2025 is fast approaching! With the 78th edition of the cinema world's most important annual event set to take place from Tuesday May 13 to Saturday May 24, it's more than ever time for rumors and predictions about the films that might be selected by Thierry Frémaux, the Festival's general delegate.

As we await the customary press conference on April 10, which should announce all the films in competition in the Official Selection, as well as the works presented out of competition, the new films unveiled in Cannes Première, the films (often genre films) in the Midnight screenings and, of course, the short and feature-length films competing in the Un Certain Regard selection, a veritable antechamber to the Official Selection, we take stock of the rumors in the corridors!

These films will have to dazzle the festival's various jurors, in particular Juliette Binoche, president of the jury for this 78th edition. Please note that the selections for the parallel competitions ( Semaine de la Critique, Quinzaine des Cinéastes andACID) will be unveiled at a later date, as yet unknown.

The selection below would, in short, be our ideal selection. But the films still have to be ready in time... Let's indulge in a little dreaming, with around twenty French films, thirty international films and filmmakers more or less familiar with the festival who could well be present at Cannes 2025, all selections included.

International films that could be selected for Cannes 2025:

Christopher McQuarrie'sMission:Impossible - The Final Reckoning. We'd love to see Tom Cruise abseiling down from the Palais des Festivals to present the latest opus in the saga (scheduled for theatrical release on May 21, 2025) in an out-of-competition preview.

Richard Linklater'sNouvelle Vague. Linklater's new film looks back at the birth of the Nouvelle Vague and the making of Godard'sA Bout de Souffle. Shot in Paris and Cannes, Zoey Deutch plays Jean Seberg and Guillaume Marbeck Jean-Luc Godard.

Father, Mother, Sister, Brother by Jim Jarmusch. While no information has been leaked about the synopsis, the cast is known: Cate Blanchett, Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Charlotte Rampling and Vicky Krieps.

No Other Choice by Park Chan-wook. It is a remake of Costa-Gavras' 2005 film Le Couperet, itself adapted from Donald E. Westlake's book The Ax.

Die My Love by Lynne Ramsay. Last year, there was talk of the director presenting Polaris at Cannes, a film starring Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix as a photographer who encounters the devil in Alaska at the end of the 19th century. This year, she may present Die My Love, a dark comedy adapted from the book Crève, mon amour by Ariana Harwicz, starring Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Lawrence as a mother in the throes of psychotic post-partum depression in the French countryside.

Terrence Malick'sThe Way of the Wind. A film retracing several major episodes in the life of Christ, shooting began in 2019 (!) and could finally see the light of day in 2025. No wonder the filmmaker has announced that he has shot over 3,000 hours of rushes (!). The cast includes Matthias Schoenaerts, Ben Kingsley and Joseph Fiennes. The film, which had already been hoped for last year, is reportedly still in post-production.

Hope by Na Hong-Jin. Another film we were already expecting last year. Almost 10 years after The Strangers, Na Hong-Jin could be back at Cannes with Hope, a thriller starring Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander. The synopsis is still shrouded in mystery: A mysterious discovery is made on the outskirts of the port town of Hopo Port. The inhabitants struggle for survival...

Bi Gan'sResurrection. A Chinese director could be on board, Bi Gan with his new project Resurrection. A sci-fi crime thriller starring actress Shu Qi and singer Jackson Yee. The synopsis is intriguing: A woman has catapulted herself into a post-apocalyptic future, where she seeks to repair a half-robot, half-human man by metaphorically recounting parts of Chinese history.

The Phoenician Scheme by Wes Anderson. A Cannes Film Festival without a Wes Anderson film? Impossible! All the more so as this thriller about a father and daughter caught up in an espionage spiral already has a release date (May 28, 2025) and boasts the usual XXL cast: Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Rupert Friend and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Highest 2 Lowest by Spike Lee. Produced by A24, the film is a remake of Akira Kurosawa's Japanese thriller Between Heaven and Hell , and stars Denzel Washington and Jeffrey Wright.

Ari Aster'sEddington . Speaking of A24, Ari Aster could also be presenting his new film, a dark western comedy starring Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Austin Butler and Pedro Pascal.

The Mastermind by Kelly Reichardt. The film stars Josh O'Connor as an art thief set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War.

The Disappearance of Josef Mengele by Kirill Serebrennikov. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Olivier Guez, Prix Renaudot winner in 2017, the film recounts the years of flight of Nazi doctor Josef Mengele (played by August Diehl), who found refuge in South America at the end of the Second World War. Told entirely from the fugitive's point of view, moving from Paraguay to the Brazilian jungle, the film paints a harsh and complex portrait of an executioner trying to escape his fate, while the world around him evolves and becomes aware of Nazi crimes.

Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier. It's a family drama, starring Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning. The synopsis is already known: "When their mother dies, Nora and Agnès see their father Gustav reappear in their lives. A film director who was once renowned, he has written a screenplay in which he would like Nora, now an actress, to play the lead role, but she categorically refuses. During a retrospective of his work at a French film festival, Gustav meets a young Hollywood star who, overwhelmed by one of his films, expresses a desire to work with him. He offered her the role originally written for Nora, seeing this as an unhoped-for opportunity to relaunch her career. The shoot in Norway becomes an opportunity for Gustav to confront his demons, and gives him one last chance to reconnect with his daughters.

I Want your Sex by Gregg Araki. An erotic thriller starring Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman and Charlie XCX.

Danny Boyle's28 Years Later. What can we say, except that the third installment of the saga initiated by 28 Days Later is one of the most eagerly awaited films of the year. We hope it will be unveiled at Cannes in a special screening!

Kleber Mendonça Filho'sSecret Agent. A political thriller starring Wagner Moura. The film is set in 1977 in Brazil, during the final years of the military dictatorship. Marcelo, a man in his forties fleeing a troubled past, arrives in the city of Recife where he hopes to build a new life and reconnect with his family. But death threats are hovering over his head...

The doctor says, I'll be alright but I'm feelin' blue by Mascha Schilinski. The young German director's film follows the lives of four young women over four decades.

Orphan by László Nemes. The Hungarian filmmaker's third feature tells the story of a young boy's life in Budapest in 1957, a year after the Hungarian Revolution, which saw the failure of an uprising against the USSR.

The Chronology of Water by Kristen Stewart. The actress steps behind the camera for the first time, with a biopic about swimmer Lidia Yuknavitch (played by Imogen Poots), based on her memoirs published in 2011.

Eleanor the Great by Scarlett Johansson. Another first film by an actress, this one follows 90-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein as she tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. She returns to New York after living in Florida for decades.

After the Hunt by Luca Guadagnino. A psychological drama, starring Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield, scheduled for release this autumn. The actress plays a university professor whose dark past is about to be revealed when one of her students makes serious accusations against her colleague, played by Andrew Garfield.

The History of Sound by Oliver Hermanus. With Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor. During the First World War, two young men, Lionel and David, set out to record the lives, voices and music of their fellow Americans.

Duse by Pietro Marcello. In the aftermath of the First World War, former actress Eleonora Duse returns to the stage, confronted by the limitations of her own body and the realities of power at odds with her utopian ideals. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi plays the Italian diva, alongside Noémie Merlant.

Amrum by Fatih Akin. Based on the autobiographical novel by German actor, author and filmmaker Hark Bohm, starring Diane Kruger. On the island of Amrum in the spring of 1945. Seal hunting, night fishing, work in the fields: nothing is too dangerous or too difficult for 12-year-old Nanning, who helps her mother feed the family in the final days of the Second World War.

Rosebush Pruning by Karim Aïnouz. A remake of Marco Bellocchio's 1965 film Fists in Your Pockets. With Callum Turner, Riley Keough, Jamie Bell, Elle Fanning and Pamela Anderson.

Chocobar by Lucrecia Martel. A regular at the Cannes Film Festival, Lucrecia Martel is back for the third time to present a film. For her sixth feature, the Argentinian director has chosen to tackle the documentary genre, following an indigenous community expelled from their land and the journey of an indigenous activist, Javier Chocobar.

Minotauro, Picasso y las mujeres del Guernica by Julio Medem. Spring 1937. In a tormented relationship with three women and while Spain is experiencing its first year of civil war, Pablo Picasso (played by Pablo Derqui) paints a picture commissioned by the government of the Spanish Republic for the Paris International Exhibition: his Guernica.

Marty Supreme by Josh Safdi. A comedy-drama biopic about New York table tennis champion Marty Reisman (played by Timothée Chalamet), who won major titles between 1946 and 2002.

Silent Friend by Ildikó Enyedi. A meeting of two rhythms of life: that of man and that of nature. Inhale - exhale. About sixteen times a minute for humans. Once a day for trees. Here's a story in which these two rhythms meet. With Léa Seydoux and Tony Leung.

Left-Handed Girl by Shih-Ching Tsou. Co-written by a certain Sean Baker... (last year's Palme d'Or winner, Anora).

And also: Yes by Nadav Lapid, Love on Trial by Koji Fukada, Dao by Alain Gomis, Fuori by Mario Martone, Naomi Kawase's next film with Vicky Krieps, and why not Exit 8 by Genki Kawamura at the Quinzaine des Cinéastes, adapted from the famous horror video game of the same name.

French films that could be selected for Cannes 2025:

Private life by Rebecca Zlotowski. A thriller starring Jodie Foster, Daniel Auteuil and Virginie Efira. Lilian Steiner is a renowned psychiatrist. One day, she learns of the death of one of her patients. Disturbed, Lilian becomes convinced that it's a murder, so she decides to investigate...

Alpha by Julia Ducourneau. Julia Ducourneau, who won the Palme d'Or with Titane, could be back on the Croisette with Alpha, her new film set against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic in the USA. With Golshifteh Farahani and Tahar Rahim.

Couture by Alice Winocour. The French director has cast Angelina Jolie in the lead role of this film set in the world of fashion. Maxine, an American director, is embarked on a life-and-death journey as she arrives in Paris for Fashion Week and her existence collides with those of two other women. Louis Garrel is also expected to join the cast.

Sang craché des lèvres belles by Jean-Charles Hue. After Mange tes Morts and Tijuana Bible, Jean-Charles Hue could return to the Cannes Film Festival with his new film starring Alma Rechtman, Brigitte Sy and Frédéric Dorkel, Jean-Charles Hue's favorite actor. The film, already expected last year, is currently in post-production.

L'Inconnu de la grande arche by Stéphane Demoustier. The French director returns, starring Claes Bang, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Xavier Dolan and Swann Arlaud. Synopsis: The biggest architectural competition in history, both anonymous and open, is launched in the early 80s under the impetus of a new socialist president. Coveted by all the international architectural luminaries, the competition was surprisingly won by an unknown: Johan Otto von Spreckelsen, an architecture teacher from Copenhagen. Until then, the fifty-year-old had only built 4 buildings: his home and three small chapels. Overnight, "Spreck" is thrust into the limelight, the center of attention and, above all, the head of a colossal project: building the Grande Arche de la Défense.

Une Affaire by Arnaud Desplechin. The career of Mathias, a virtuoso pianist living an impossible love story in Lyon, with François Civil, Charlotte Rampling, Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Hippolyte Girardot.

La Maison Maternelle by the Dardenne brothers. Five young mothers, Jessica, Perla, Julie, Naïma and Ariane, fight to ensure a better world for their children.

De Gaulle by Antonin Baudry. The first part of the two-part biopic on General De Gaulle by the director of Le Chant du Loup is set to premiere at Cannes. The diptych will trace the life and political commitment of Charles De Gaulle from 1940 to 1945, through to his evolution into a political career. With Simon Akbarian, Niels Schneider and Karim Leklou.

Marcel et Monsieur Pagnol by Sylvain Chomet. The director of Les Triplettes de Belleville has created a new animated film based on the life of Marcel Pagnol. Scheduled for release on October 15, 2025.

Dossier 137 by Dominik Moll. After La Nuit du 12, a new crime film by Moll at Cannes? On the face of it, Dossier 137 is just another case for Stéphanie, an investigator with the IGPN (played by Léa Drucker), the police force. A tense demonstration, a young man wounded by LBD fire, circumstances to be clarified to establish responsibility. But something unexpected happens to trouble Stéphanie, for whom dossier 137 becomes more than just a number.

The Piano Accident by Quentin Dupieux. And a new Dupieux at Cannes, one! A new, probably crazy, work starring Adèle Exarchopoulos, Sandrine Kiberlain and Karim Leklou.

13 days, 13 nights by Martin Bourboulon. Based on the novel 13 jours, 13 nuits dans l'enfer de Kaboul by Commandant Mohammed Bida. With Roschdy Zem, Lyna Khoudri and Sidse Babett Knudsen. Kabul, August 15, 2021. As American troops prepare to leave the country, the Taliban storm the capital and seize power. In the midst of the chaos, Major Mohamed Bida and his men provide security for the French embassy, which is still open. Caught in a trap, Major Bida decides to negotiate with the Taliban to organize a last-chance convoy with the help of Eva, a young Franco-Afghan humanitarian. It's a race against time to get the evacuees to the airport and escape the hell of Kabul before it's too late.

Dog 51 by Cédric Jimenez. A science-fiction film adapted from Laurent Gaudé's novel of the same name, starring Gilles Lellouche, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Louis Garrel. In 2045, Paris is divided into zones corresponding to social classes, and monitored by an AI named Alma. When Alma's inventor is murdered, Salia, an elite investigator from Zone 2, and Zem, a disillusioned policeman from Zone 3, must work together to find the culprit. Their investigation soon uncovers a vast conspiracy that challenges the established order.

Le Mage du Kremlin by Olivier Assayas. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Giuliano da Empoli, winner of the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française, starring Paul Dano, Jude Law, Alicia Vikander. Synopsis: Russia in the early 1990s, just after the collapse of the USSR. In a new world that promises freedom but flirts with chaos, a young artist turned TV producer, Vadim Baranov, unexpectedly becomes the "spin doctor" of a promising member of the FSB (ex-KGB), Vladimir Putin.

Rembrandt by Pierre Schoeller. Claire (Camille Cottin) and Yves (Romain Duris), physicists by training, have always worked in the nuclear industry. During a visit to the National Gallery, Claire is overwhelmed by three Rembrandt paintings. Their encounter with these three masterpieces will change them forever.

Enzo by Robin Campillo. Laurent Cantet's last project before his death last year, taken over by his filmmaker friend Robin Campillo. Synopsis: Enzo, 16, is an apprentice bricklayer in La Ciotat. Urged by his father to go to university, the young man seeks to escape the comfortable but stifling surroundings of the family villa. It's on the building sites, in contact with Vlad, a Ukrainian colleague, that Enzo will catch a glimpse of a new horizon.

Adam's Interest by Laura Wandel. A Belgian film produced by the Dardenne brothers, starring Léa Drucker and Anamaria Vartolomei.

Mektoub my Love: Canto Due by Abdellatif Kechiche. Although, to be honest, we don't really believe in it anymore...

As for films that won't be ready in time for Cannes, Paris Match and Variety cite Yorgos Lanthimos' Bugonia, Paul Thomas Anderson's adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's Vineland, Paul Greengrass' The Lost Bus, Céline Song's Materialists, Romain Gavras' Sacrifice, Julian Schnabel's In the Hand of Dante, Benny Safdie's The Smashing Machine and Nicolas Winding Refn's The Avenging Silence.

Answer on April 10!