The 78th Cannes Film Festival Opens with a Powerful Jury and Provocative Discussion

By Moira Sullivan

The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival opened on May 13 with the selection of an exceptional jury and a spirited press conference that set the tone for a politically and socially engaged festival. In the opening night of the Cannes film festival, Robert De Niro took the stage to accept an honorary Palme d’Or and he took the time to criticiz the tariffs on film produced outside of the US. Meanwhile Tom Cruise - who did not go to film or acting school - has built a successful international franchise on Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning", which is not subject to tariffs. "Mission: Impossible" is a fictional multimedia franchise, imported or exported between countries. The opening of the film was exciting for the cast and crew and a jubilant Cannes public.

Main Competition Jury Presiding over this year’s main jury is acclaimed French actress Juliette Binoche, whose career spans four decades and more than 70 films. Binoche won the Best Actress award at Cannes in 2010 for her performance in Certified Copy by Abbas Kiarostami and has received numerous accolades including an Oscar, BAFTA, César, and Best Actress honors at both Berlin and Venice. Her films are frequently featured in Cannes' Official Selection, most recently The Taste of Things by Trần Anh Hùng (2023). She is joined on the jury by: • Halle Berry (USA) – Actor and Director • Dieudo Hamadi (Republic of the Congo) – Director, Writer, Producer • Hong Sang-soo (South Korea) – Director, Writer • Payal Kapadia (India) – Director, Writer • Carlos Reygadas (Mexico) – Director, Writer, Producer • Alba Rohrwacher (Italy) – Actress • Leïla Slimani (France/Morocco) – Writer • Jeremy Strong (USA) – Actor

At the opening press conference, the jury fielded pointed questions from the international press. One journalist asked about Gérard Depardieu and whether the #MeToo movement had influenced the growing scrutiny of abuse in the film industry. Binoche affirmed that it had. When asked why Cannes had not taken a stance on the conflict in Gaza, Binoche declined to answer. Meanwhile, Berry was asked what prepared her to serve on an international jury. She mentioned a recent trip to Saudi Arabia and expressed enthusiasm for films about people of color.

Un Certain Regard Jury The Un Certain Regard section, which spotlights daring and innovative filmmaking, is presided over by Molly Manning Walker, British filmmaker and cinematographer best known for her 2023 Cannes winner How to Have Sex. Her earlier film Good Thanks, You? (2020) tackled the bureaucratic challenges faced by survivors of sexual violence and was featured in the Semaine de la Critique. She is currently developing a TV series with A24 and a new feature with Plan B. Walker is joined by: • Louise Courvoisier (France) – Director, Writer • Vanja Kaludjercic (Croatia) – Director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam • Roberto Minervini (Italy) – Director, Writer, Producer • Nahuel Pérez Biscayart (Argentina) – Actor

Other Cannes Juries Cinéfondation and Short Films Jury: Composed of a president and four film professionals, it awards the Short Film Palme d’Or and three top Cinéfondation prizes.

Caméra d’Or Jury: Awards the best first feature film presented in any section. Includes a president and members from across the global film industry.

Highlights from the Official Selection Opening film at Cannes– Partir Un Jour -- Leave One Day by Amélie Bonnin For the first time in the Festival’s history, a first feature film directed by a woman opens the 78th edition.

Cannes regular Oliver Laxe returns with Sirat, a Moroccan desert odyssey powered by techno beats, telling an almost mythical tale of physical and emotional endurance. Of his film Laxe expressed: I'm drawn to the everyday meaning of the word Sirat. which translates as "path" or "way." A path that has two dimensions: the physical and the metaphysical. or spiritual. Sirat is the inner path that pushes you to die before you die - as happens to the main character in this film. It's also the name of the bridge said to connect hell and paradise.

Another standout is Erige Sehiri’s Motherhood (2025), a French-Tunisian-Qatari production starring French actress Aissa Maiga follows Marie, an Ivorian pastor living in Tunisia. Her home becomes a sanctuary for Naney, a young exiled mother seeking a better future, and Jolie, a headstrong student burdened with family expectations. The arrival of four year old orphaned girl Kenza rescued from a shipwreck challenges the fragile solidarity among them, revealing both their vulnerabilities and their strength in a society on edge. Sehiri’s interest in African migrant communities is rooted in real demographics: while only 20% of African migrants emigrate to Europe, about 80% move within the African continent—often overlooked in mainstream narratives. Aissa Maiga was at Cannes with her documentary Above Water in 2021 about a 12 year old boy from Niger who ravels several kilometers every day to fetch water. The village got together to obtain the construction of a well that unites the village.

© 2025 - Moira Sullivan - Air Date: 05/17/2025
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