This year’s Cannes Film Festival was a roller coaster of emotions as it contained plenty of highs and lows with many wondering which film would walk away with the Palme d’Or this year as we headed into week two of the festival. We had a feeling it would come down to Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” and Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just An Accident” and Juliette Binoche’s jury made their final decision…
As we do every year at Next Best Picture, we view the Cannes Film Awards as the first official precursor for this year’s awards season. The last four out of five Palme d’Or winners (all NEON titles, by the way) went on to receive a Best Picture nomination with last year’s “Anora” winning the Academy’s top prize. Will that happen again this year? It’s too early to tell but what we know for sure is, Jafar Panahi has climbed to the top of the mountain
This year’s In Competition included “Alpha,” “Case 137,” “Die, My Love,” “Eagles of the Republic,” “Eddington,” “Fuori,” “The History of Sound,” “It Was Just an Accident,” “The Little Sister,” “The Mastermind,” “Nouvelle Vague,” “The Phoenician Scheme,” “Renoir,” “Resurrection,” “Romería,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value,” “Sirât,” “Sound of Falling,” “Two Prosecutors,” “Woman and Child” & “The Young Mother’s Home.”
The jury selecting the winners for this year’s In Competition awards included Jury President Juliette Binoche (“The English Patient“), Academy Award-winning American actress Halle Berry (“Never Let Go”), Indian director and screenwriter Payal Kapadia (“All We Imagine as Light“), Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher (“Maria“), French-Moroccan writer Leïla Slimani (“Chanson douce”), as well as Congolese director, documentarist and producer Dieudo Hamadi (“Mama Colonel”), Korean director and screenwriter Hong Sangsoo (“A Traveler’s Needs“), Mexican director, screenwriter and producer Carlos Reygadas (“Our Time”) and American actor Jeremy Strong (“The Apprentice“).
Here’s what won the awards at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
In Competition
Palme d’Or: “It Was Just an Accident” by Jafar Panahi
Grand Prix: “Sentimental Value” by Joachim Trier
Jury Prize: “Sirât” by Oliver Laxe & “Sound of Falling” by Mascha Schilinski (TIE)
Best Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho for “The Secret Agent”
Best Actress: Nadia Melliti for “The Little Sister”
Best Actor: Wagner Moura for “The Secret Agent”
Best Screenplay: “The Young Mother’s Home” by Luc Dardenne & Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Prix Spécial: “Resurrection” by Bi Gan
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard Prize: “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo” by Diego Céspedes
Jury Prize: “A Poet” by Simón Mesa Soto
Best Director: Tarzan and Arab Nasser for “Once Upon a Time in Gaza”
Best Actor: Frank Dillane for “Urchin”
Best Actress: Cleo Diára for “I Only Rest in the Storm”
Best Screenplay: Harry Lighton for “Pillion”
Honorary Palme d’Or
Robert De Niro
Denzel Washington
Caméra d’Or
“The President’s Cake” by Hasan Hadi
Special Mention: Akinola Davies Jr. for “My Father’s Shadow”
Short Film Palme d’Or
“I’m Glad You’re Dead Now” by Tawfeek Barhom
Special Mention: “Ali” by Adnan Al Rajeev
Cinéfondation
First Prize: “First Summer” by Heo Gayoung (KAFA, South Korea)
Second Prize: “12 Moments Before the Flag-Raising Ceremony” by Qu Zhizheng (Beijing Film Academy, China)
Third Prize: “Ginger Boy” (Separated) by Miki Tanaka (ENBU Seminar, Japan) & “Winter in March” by Natalia Mirzoyan (Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonia) (TIE)
Immersive Competition
“From Dust” by Michel van der Aa
FIPRESCI Prizes
In Competition: “The Secret Agent” by Kleber Mendonça Filho
Un Certain Regard: “Urchin” by Harris Dickinson
Parallel Section (first features): “Dandelion’s Odyssey” by Momoko Sato
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
TBA
Critics’ Week
Grand Prize: “A Useful Ghost” by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
French Touch Prize of the Jury: “Imago” by Déni Oumar Pitsaev
Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award: Théodore Pellerin for “Nino”
Leitz Cine Discovery Prize for Short Film: “L’mina” by Randa Maroufi
Gan Foundation Award for Distribution: “Left-Handed Girl” by Shih-Ching Tsou
SACD Award: Guillermo Galoe and Víctor Alonso-Berbel for “Sleepless City”
Canal+ Award for Short Film: “Erogenesis” by Xandra Popescu
Directors’ Fortnight
Audience Award: “The President’s Cake” by Hasan Hadi
Europa Cinemas Label Award for Best European Film: “Wild Foxes” by Valéry Carnoy
SACD Prize for Best French Film: “Wild Foxes” by Valéry Carnoy
Carrosse d’Or: Todd Haynes
L’Œil d’or
“Imago” by Déni Oumar Pitsaev
Special Jury Prize: “The Six Billion Dollar Man” by Eugene Jarecki
Queer Palm
“The Little Sister” by Hafsia Herzi
Best Short Film: “Bleat!” by Ananth Subramaniam
Cannes Soundtrack Award
Kangding Ray for “Sirât“
Prix François Chalais
“Two Prosecutors” by Sergei Loznitsa
Prix de la Citoyenneté
Citizenship Prize: “It Was Just an Accident” by Jafar Panahi
Prix des Cinémas Art et Essai
AFCAE Art House Cinema Award: “The Secret Agent” by Kleber Mendonça Filho
Special Mention: “Sirât” by Oliver Laxe
Palm Dog
Panda for “The Love That Remains”
Grand Jury Prize: Pipa and Lupita for “Sirât”
Mutt Moment: Hippo for “Pillion”
Trophée Chopard
Finn Bennett
Marie Colomb
What do you think of the winners? Which of these films are you most looking forward to seeing? Do you think any of these will be in contention for an Oscar nomination later this year? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.
