CANNES, France (AP) â The opens Tuesday with expectations running high for what could be a banner edition.
All of the ingredients â an absurd number of stars, top-tier filmmakers, political intrigue â seem to be lined up for . Over the next 12 days, Cannes will play host to megawatt premieres including those of âMission: Impossible â The Final Recoking,â Spike Leeâs âHighest 2 Lowestâ and Ari Asterâs âEddington.â
Things get underway Tuesday with the unveiling of Juliette Binocheâs jury, a three-film tribute to Ukraine and the opening night film, AmĂ©lie Bonninâs French romance âLeave One Day.â At the festivalâs opening ceremony, , 49 years after âTaxi Driverâ won Cannes' top prize.
Cannes is coming off a 2024 festival that produced a number of eventual Oscar contenders, including âEmilia Perez,â âThe Substance,â âFlowâ and Asked if he's feeling the pressure this time around, festival director Thierry FrĂ©maux said the only kind of pressure he believes in is in beer. (Beer on tap in France is "biĂšre Ă la pression.")
âIndeed last year was a beautiful year,â FrĂ©maux said Monday. âBut at the very time when I was with (journalists) as the festival started, we didnât know if it was going to be a good year or not.â
This yearâs Cannes Film Festival, the premier international cinematic gathering, is unspooling following U.S. President Donald Trumpâs . While Fremaux expressed sympathy to the cause of strengthening local movie production, he said it was too soon to comment on the still-unformed plans.
âItâs far too early in the game,â said Fremaux. âBut if I say one thing here at the Cannes Film Festival, we wouldnât want the American cinema to cease to be strong. And right now, itâs very strong.â
Cannes will follow-up Tuesdayâs festivities with the return on Wednesday of Tom Cruise to Cannes. Three years after he brought âTop Gun: Maverickâ to the festival,
Twenty-two films will vie for Cannesâ top prize, the Palme dâOr. Those films include Wes Andersonâs âThe Phoenician Scheme,â Richard Linklaterâs âNouvelle Vague,â Lynne Ramsayâs âDie, My Love,â Joachim Trierâs âSentimental Value,â Kelly Reichardtâs âThe Mastermind,â Oliver Hermanusâ âThe History of Sound,â Julia Ducournauâs âAlphaâ and Jafar Panahiâs âA Simple Accident.â
Binoche will be leading the jury that pick Palme dâOr winner, along with jurors including Halle Berry and Jeremy Strong. The festival closes May 24.
Cannes is kicking off the same day GĂ©rard Depardieu, is to receive a verdict in a closely watched sexual assault case. Depardieu, 76, has been accused of groping two women on the set of the 2022 film âLes Volets Verts.â
In Cannesâ Un Certain Regard section, three prominent actors are making their directorial debuts: Harris Dickinson (âUrchinâ), Kristen Stewart (âThe Chronology of Waterâ) and Scarlett Johansson (âEleanor the Greatâ).
Geopolitics are likely to play a starring role at Cannes, which is beginning by screening three 2025 Ukraine documentaries: âZelensky,â Bernard-Henri LĂ©vyâs âNotre Guerreâ and The Associated Press-Frontline coproduction by â20 Days in Mariupolâ Oscar-winner Mstyslav Chernov.
âThis âUkraine Dayâ is a reminder of the commitment of artists, authors and journalists to tell the story of this conflict in the heart of Europe,â the festival said in a statement.
Cannes will also celebrate its opening by turning to an old favorite. A restoration of Charlie Chaplin's âThe Gold Rushâ is to debut Tuesday, timed to the film's centenary.
___
For more coverage of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit:
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
