The 2025 Cannes Film Festival wrapped up recently after running from May 13 to May 24. As is typical with the -based cinema event, those 12 days saw the premieres of numerous highly anticipated films both in and out of competition. Some of the in-competition favorites include Lynne Ramsey's star-studded Die, My Love, and Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value, both of which have generated hype. Out of competition but also screening at the festival was Highest 2 Lowest, Spike Lee's anticipated remake of the Akira Kurosawa film High and Low. 4l4o3m

On the surface, it seemed as if the films premiering at the Cannes Film Festivalthis year were receiving mixed responses at best, but if you dig beneath the initial reactions, there is plenty to love, with many films garnering acclaim even among the divided responses on the ground. With 22 films in competition on the 2025 Cannes lineup, and dozens more playing in the various sidebars, cinema's biggest event of the year laid the foundation for many major releases to come.

Though she is only 27 years old, Elle Fanning has been in Hollywood for over two decades now. She followed in the footsteps of her sister, Dakota Fanning, as her first ever acting role was playing the younger version of Dakota's character in the legal drama film I Am Sam. Her other earliest roles included parts in Daddy Day Care, The Door in the Floor, and Babel. While still a child, she had her first big starring role in 2008 when she played the lead character in the drama Phoebe in Wonderland.

Last year, Anora went all the way from the Croisette, where it won the Palme d’Or at the77thCannes Film Festival, to Hollywood’s biggest night. At this year’s Oscars ceremony, Anora won five of the six awards it was nominated for, with director Sean Baker breaking the record for most Oscars won by a person in a single night for the same film. He took home Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, and a Best Picture trophy for his role as producer. In a shocking upset, Mikey Madison also won Best Actress over assumed favorite Demi Moore and her performance in The Substance.

Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has been making movies for years under the restrictive regime that has put him in prison and resulted in numerous arrests, travel bans, filmmaking bans, and more injustices. As recently as 2022, the 65-year-old director was imprisoned for seven months before he went on a hunger strike, which resulted in his release two days later. During all this, Panahi has continued to make films, sometimes smuggling them out of Iran, other times watching from prison as they are released. Now, he has returned to Cannes in person for the first time since 2003 and 30 years after he won the Camera d’Or for The White Balloon, his debut feature.

The awards from the 2025 Cannes Film Festival have now been presented. Every year, the prestigious French film festival honors new movies with a variety of awards celebrating the best director, actor, actress, and screenplay, in addition to the Jury Prize, the Grand Prize, and the coveted Palme d'Or. Recent Palme d'Or winners include Sean Baker's Anora, which went on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, Bong Joon Ho's fellow Best Picture winner Parasite, and the Oscar-nominated European films Triangle of Sadness and Anatomy of a Fall.

The 2025 Cannes Film Festival has come and gone, and several of this year’s most anticipated films were being shown at the prestigious event. With world premieres including Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning and Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme, there have been plenty of major releases at this year’s festival. These premieres have all continued the long-standing tradition of standing ovations from the audience, which can grow surprisingly lengthy.

Christianity offers the teachings of Jesus in the form of his commandments as a way to live like him, but there are arguments made that a Bible isn’t necessary to be a decent human being. In his latest feature, which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, writer-director Warwick Thornton examines these competing topics with sincerity and wonder. With his story and direction comes magical encounters that intermingle culture and new religion from a child’s perspective. The New Boy is an ethereal experience with transcendent performances from Cate Blanchett and Aswan Reid that will leave lasting impressions.

In the opening sequence of Michael Angelo Covino’s relationship dramedy, Splitsville, married couple Ashley (Adria Arjona) and Carey (Kyle Marvin) are on their way to visit their friends Julie (Dakota Johnson) and Paul (Covino). Spontaneously, Ashley puts the moves on her hubby while he’s driving to spice up the relationship. Apparently, she’s been longing for a sexual awakening in her marriage and thinks a car ride is the perfect time. But when their impulses lead to a fatal accident, Ashley decides it’s time for a divorce, forcing them to part ways on the spot.

The Cannes Film Festival is still in full swing, and like always, it has been home to some impressive films. One of the longest-running film festivals around, the massive artistic event can be traced back to 1946. This year, the festival kicked off on Thursday, May 13, and runs through this Saturday, May 24. This year's lineup included Lynne Ramsey's Die, My Love, and Spike Lee's (out of competition) Highest 2 Lowest, among other notable titles. Continuing the festival's audience tradition, Cannes 2025 has had its fair share of long-standing ovations.