The 78th Annual Cannes Film Festival
The 78th Annual Cannes Film Festival took place from May 13 to 24, 2025, at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France. This year, I was lucky enough to attend the final session of the “3 Days in Cannes” program, which granted me access to the festival’s last three days. While it was impossible to catch every exciting new release, I still managed to watch ten and a half films.
And so, on May 21, full of anticipation, I boarded a five-hour train to Cannes, and thus began the memory of a lifetime.
May 21st, Day 0 – Arrival
After arriving in the crowded Mediterranean city, greeted by the warm cobalt-blue sky and the sea that mirrored it, I went ahead and picked up my accreditation. In the WhatsApp group for our session, we had planned for a beach hang later, so after settling in, I took a quick stop at The History of Sound’s red carpet before joining the group. For five hours, we chatted nonstop until midnight. It was one of the most memorable moments of the whole event. We talked about everything—films, tricks, and tips for the festival, as well as our most anticipated premieres… As an illustrator, I also spent the night drawing the ones beside me, capturing the memories on paper.
Though our encounters were brief, that night— salt air, beachside screening, calling seagulls, echoing waves—we talked and laughed freely, as if we’d known each other for the longest time, all because of our love for film.
May 22nd, Day 1– Getting the hang of it
I spent my first official day at the Arcades cinema, starting off the festival with Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) by Richard Linklater. It was a welcoming first film, because we all chuckled at the ironic “Everybody is at Cannes, why aren’t we at Cannes?”. The film was witty and fun to watch—a real treat for the fellow New Wave era fans, as we dove into the making of Godard’s Breathless.
There is a lot of queuing to do in Cannes, but because of the cinephiles around me, it was never boring or tiresome. The second feature was The History of Sound by Oliver Hermanus, starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor. Based on the short story of the same title, it tells the relationship of David and Lionel after WWI and their connection with folk music. The film had beautiful and tender cinematography, but I failed to connect with the characters, so it marked the most tiresome screening of Cannes.
After a little lunch break, it was time for the long-awaited Urchin, written and directed by Harris Dickinson. It also marked his feature-length directorial debut. We watched as Michael, a homeless man in London, tried to turn his life around. This film exceeded my every expectation, especially with its attention to detail and beautiful use of complementary colors. The performance by Frank Dillane was also terrifically nuanced, which brought him home the Best Actor prize in the Un Certain Regard section. The film’s dive into the cycle of self-destruction through its gripping story made you deeply sympathetic to the unlikable character. This also showcased that whether it's in front of or behind the camera, Dickinson is a dark horse to look out for.
To finish up the day, I was able to catch the screening of the much-praised Sirât by Óliver Laxe.
The Jury Prize co-winner tells the journey of a father's search for his missing daughter in the deserts of southern Morocco. Watching this was an unforgettable and devastating odyssey in itself. I had never heard this many loud gasps in a cinema before. I must say, I think I was traumatized in the best way possible by its gripping tension that made me hold my breath on many occasions. It was such a thematically and emotionally heavy film, with much of it told through sound, score, and silence. Do watch this in the cinema if you have the chance, so you won’t be able to pause it out of shock, and it is a collective experience to remember.
At this point in the evening, I still had some time left, so I went ahead to watch the red carpet of my most anticipated film of the festival, Resurrection. Seeing Bi Gan in person—a director I deeply admire—was surreal. Seeing the artists in person is always an emotional experience. You could feel the hard work and anticipation poured into the film, just by looking at the proud, slightly nervous faces. I found myself silently hoping they’d have the best night ever, and that their hard work would shine.
May 22nd, Day 2 – The most anticipated day
In the most sleep-deprived manner, I woke up early to queue for Resurrection at Le Grand Théâtre Lumière. After getting myself a coffee, I headed to the last-minute queue. Not only did I meet others from the 3 days in Cannes program, but also some elderly sirs with cinephile accreditations who had been attending Cannes on and off for the past forty years! Now that is some true love for the festival. Time flew by, and before long, I was walking up the stairs of the red carpet. I was lucky to have found a seat quickly in pitch black, a few rows from the top. So began the day at the 8 a.m. screening.
In a parallel world, humans have found the road to eternal life—that is, to no longer dream. There, a monster named Fantasmer is lost in fascination with the remaining fragments of reverie. A woman, gifted with the power to see into his visions, infiltrates his mind and grants him one final dream—before putting him to rest. Written and directed by Bi Gan and starring Jackson Yee and Shu Qi. This Special Jury prize winner is a monumental love letter to cinema, as it transcends you into a state of poetic, vivid dreaming. I was tearing up at the end simply because of Bi Gan’s love and dedication to the art form. It was no surprise to me that I spent the rest of the festival either defending the film to others or joyfully rambling when I found my flock—birds of a feather. I cannot wait to rewatch it again on the silver screen.
After spending my bus ride to the Cineum digesting Resurrection, the second colossal screening of the day was Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier, who returns to Cannes with Renate Reinsve, this time bringing home the Grand Prix. Sisters Nora and Agnes are reunited with their estranged father Gustav, forcing them to confront their relationship and their past. This was my absolute favorite from Cannes. Trier dove into the deeply sentimental and complex relationship of a family—its memories, its hurts, and its love. I was, and still am, in awe of the way he paved the way into the most fragile and profound corners of one’s heart. Did I expect to cry twice in the same day over two completely different films? No. Did I? Yes. I felt like I needed to sit for hours in front of the end credits just to process all my turbulent emotions. The heavy weight of love lingered far beyond the end of the film.
Returning to the Arcades, I sat for one of the most publicly anticipated films: Die, My Love by Lynne Ramsay, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, adapted from Ariana Harwicz’s novel of the same title. In a remote, forgotten rural area, a mother struggles to maintain her sanity as she battles with psychosis. Ramsay’s psychodrama dives into the relationship of a couple as they navigate the emotional and hormonal thunderstorm of postpartum life. The film was fierce and raw, paired with a healthy dose of both light and dark comedy. Ramsay leads you deep into the skin of the character, and the performance by Lawrence was one to remember. You will breathe the same suffocating air as the character in its entirety.
As if the day’s run hadn’t been remarkable enough, I was able to attend the premiere night of Honey Don’t by Ethan Coen, starring Margaret Qualley and Aubrey Plaza at Le Grand Théâtre Lumière.
The story follows Honey O’Donahue, a small-town private investigator, whose latest case led her into a rabbit hole of strange deaths tied to a mysterious church. Though the story and character development fell short, this fun and lighthearted sapphic comedy was carried by its performances.
The on-screen chemistry between the two lead actresses was undeniable and absolutely tasteful to watch. Despite its flaws, I still had a good time knowing how special it was to have watched it with the cast and crew.
May 24th, Day 3 – The unpredictable finale
The midnight screening finished at 2 a.m., but that didn’t stop my adrenaline from waking me up for my final day’s screenings. I started the day at Cineum with Woman and Child by Saeed Roustayi, a heartfelt story following Mahnaz, a widowed nurse about to be remarried, as she struggles to balance her relationship with her family, especially her rebellious son. When a tragic accident occurs, she sees her life crumble. I was only able to watch half of the film at Cannes because of a five-hour city-wide blackout. This is why film festivals are special: since everybody was there to watch movies, I was able to spend the time chatting with other cinephiles, and still had a great time despite it all. The week after, I was also able to catch up on the ending of the film in Paris. It was a heartbreaking melodrama that left me in a bitter state.
Back in Cannes, the electricity started to return. During the power outage, the Palais was still up and running. I slowly made my way there for Anderson’s newest feature, The Phoenician Scheme.
An espionage black comedy about a wealthy businessman, Zsa-zsa Korda, who appoints his only daughter, a nun, as the sole heir to his estate. As they embark on a new enterprise, they are met with a series of difficulties and saboteurs from scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins. Wes Anderson still excels in his visual and narrative style, getting better and better with each film. Though I wasn’t very attached to the story, it was still a visual and stylistic feast with its whimsicalness and quirks.
Time flies when you're having the time of your life. As the artists began mounting the stairs of the red carpet for the closing ceremony, I was running to my final screening of It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi on the other end of the Palais. What started as an accident on the road—when Eghbal and his pregnant wife ran over a dog unintentionally—turns into a domino effect that entangles many lives. Later on the road, the car breaks down. At the garage, Vahid, who spots Eghbal’s limp, is reminded of a government inspector who tortured him years ago. He kidnaps Eghbal in a fit of rage or vengeance, but just before burying him alive, he hesitates, unsure of the man’s identity. This film was yet another of Panahi’s stances against the Iranian regime. The heavy and difficult topic was masterfully written and deeply human. Despite the tiring day, it held my attention throughout. One of the most iconic moments of the festival was watching this while the prizes were being announced next door. When the credits rolled, I was still burdened by the weight of the emotions when someone shouted out that it had just won the Palme d’Or. You can only imagine the exhilaration—it was the moment we all collectively realized how special that screening was. And if the day hadn’t been surreal enough, as we were leaving the cinema, we saw the cast and crew of Sentimental Value celebrating their win on the terrace next to us. I thought to myself, What a fever dream.
For the final night, I spent it on the beach with the others like the first. Oh, who doesn't love a bookend? This time, we debated about all the films we’d watched and our crazy encounters. It’s moments like this—obsessing over films with other cinephiles on the beach until midnight, watching the Palme d’Or as it was being announced, seeing the minds behind these works of art—that made the festival so exceptional.
Those three days felt like a lifetime, traveling from story to story through the silver screens. As we were leaving the beach at midnight, one final time, I took a deep breath. Salt air, beachside screening, calling seagulls, echoing waves, and starburst fireworks. If only we could pause time. So long, Festival de Cannes, thank you for all the encounters and the memories of a lifetime. Dream on, and good night.
Photos: IMDb, Focus Features, MUBI, Quim Vives, Cannes Film Festival, Variety
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