The 2024 Cannes Film Festival was one for the history books. Three eventual Best Picture nominees debuted on La Croisette, and the Palm d’Or winner, Sean Baker’s “Anora,” won the movie industry’s top prize. Gints Zilbalodis’s “Flow” took the Animated Feature Film Academy Award while four of the International Film nominees debuted at Cannes. “The Substance,” a stylish, out-of-the-box horror film, led to an unexpected Demi Moore renaissance and grossed $77 million worldwide. Even the not-so-great films such as “Megalopolis” and “Horizon: An American Saga -Chapter 1” (remember that?) provided months of cinephile discourse. The Cannes 2025 edition of the festival is right around the corner, and based on the lineup so far, it has the potential to somehow top last year’s edition.
Knowing the critical takes will come fast and furious, and several titles won’t make their way to domestic shores, let’s consider the 25 most anticipated premieres before the madness begins.
25 “Arco”
dir. Ugo Bienvenu
There is, at best, one animated film at Cannes a year. Some of the selections over the past few years? Oh, just critically acclaimed wonders such as the aforementioned “Flow,” “Robot Dreams,” “I Lost My Body,” and “Belle.” So, whether it plays In Competition, Un Certain Regard, Directors’ Fortnight, or is a Special Screening, most often an animated film that makes the Cannes cut is worth your attention. This original tale centers on a 10-year-old boy, Arco, who arrives from 3,000 years in the future on a rainbow. A young girl helps him return home. This acquisition title features the voices of Natalie Portman (in the U.S. version, not screening in Cannes), Louis Garrel, and Swan Arlaud.
24 “Vie privée”
dir. Rebecca Zlotowski
Jodie Foster is returning to French cinema. The two-time Oscar winner has portrayed French roles in “A Very Long Engagement” and “Moi, fleur bleue,” but this time around, she’s in the middle of a murder mystery. Not much else is known about this out-of-competition title beyond co-stars Daniel Auteuil and Virginie Efira, but Sony Pictures Classics picked up U.S. distribution rights way back in February.
23 “The Chrology of Water”
dir. Kristen Stewart
The feature directorial debut of Kristen Stewart, “Chronology” is an adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir of the same name. A college swimmer who battled drug use before coming to terms with her sexual identity, Yuknavitch will be portrayed by Imogen Poots. The cast also includes Thora Birch, Kim Gordon, Jim Belushi, and Tom Sturridge. This Un Certain Regard selection is an acquisition title for North America.
22 “Eagles of the Republic”
dir. Tarik Saleh
The final installment of Tarik Saleh’s “Cairo” trilogy, “Eagles,” centers on George Fahmey (Fares Fares), a well-known Egyptian actor who is pressured by the government to star in one of their commissioned films. Things get complicated when he begins an affair with the wife of a general overseeing the production. The legendary Alexandre Desplat composed the score. This is an acquisition title for the U.S. market.
21 “The Young Mother’s Home”
dir. The Dardenne Brothers
The Belgian auteurs Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne rarely miss, but it’s been over a decade since they truly wowed the world’s critics with “Two Days, One Night.” And even longer since 2005’s “L’Enfant” won the duo their second Palm d’Or. Their latest, “Young Mother’s Home,” follows five mothers and their children living in a public housing shelter. The movie is still looking for a U.S. distributor. Surprisingly, the lauded filmmakers have never been nominated as Belgium’s submission for the International Film Oscar.
20 “Eleanor The Great”
dir. Scarlett Johansson
An original screenplay by first-time screenwriter Tory Kamen, “Eleanor” finds June Squibb playing a 90-year-old Floridian woman who becomes friends with a 19-year-old New York City student. Squib gushed over working with Scarlett Johansson, making her directorial debut, when she spoke to The Playlist in October. She remarked, “I saw a rough cut of it, and I’m thrilled. I am so thrilled of what we’ve done. And it’s funny because she and I think we both feel like we’ve done this. She and I both have done this together.” Sony Pictures Classics is expected to release “Eleanor” later this year.
19 “Amrum”
dir. Fatih Akin
Co-written by filmmaker Hark Bohm, “Amrum” is based on the 85-year-old’s childhood experience on the extremely small island of the same name off the German coast. Although filmed with mostly child actors, the film reunites Akin with Diane Kruger, who won Best Actress at Cannes for his 2017 dramatic thriller, “In The Fade.” A Cannes Premiere title, the fact that Warner Bros is releasing it in Germany means it was commercial enough to warrant a pickup. Could it potentially be Germany’s International Film submission for 2026?
18 “Sound of Falling”
dir. Mascha Schlinksi
Speaking of potential German Oscar players, Mascha Schilinski‘s second feature, “Sound of Falling,” has been a buzzworthy In Competition title for some time. The ambitious picture follows four women from different historical periods whose lives are somehow tied together. Notably, the film finished shooting in September 2023, so Schilinski and the producers have held this one for Cannes for some time. It is also a U.S. acquisition target.
17 “Romería”
dir. Carla Simón
You may not recognize Carla Simón’s name, but the Spanish filmmaker won the Golden Bear at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival for her sophomore effort, “Alcarràs.” Despite critical acclaim, the film never earned the attention of American cinephiles. “Romería,” her first film In Competition at Cannes, hopes to change that. This drama follows a young woman who became an orphan after her father died of AIDS. Returning to his coastal hometown of Vigo, she soon discovers her relatives on her father’s side are not interested in reminiscing about his troubled past.
16 “Urchin”
dir. Harris Dickinson
“Urchin” is the second directorial debut in Un Certain Regard from a globally recognized and (relatively) young actor moving behind the camera. In this case, it’s Harris Dickinson who is helming his screenplay about a drifter (Frank Dillane) who “struggles to integrate into society.” That’s as close to a cliche, vague synopsis as you can get, but the BFI and BBC Film believed in his vision. Whether that means a significant North American distributor will remain to be seen. The fact that the top American publicity agency at Cannes took it on, however, is a very good sign (they are picky to say the least).
