The Next, Paul Thomas Anderson and Spike Lee are the most recent films to be released worldwide, while Scarlett Johansson and Kristen Stewart have made their first directorial appearances in cinemas before returning to Cannes

Here is our annual (non-exhaustive) list of U.S. film festivals as the Deadline team prepares for another hectic and exciting year of exploration. S. as well as international films that we anticipate seeing soon. Although we achieved a strike rate of over 80 percent for 2024, there are a few returnees on this year’s list that we still hope to see at a festival soon. Similar to our earlier prediction lists, we have prioritized films that are either in post-production or have already begun filming but have not yet received a festival announcement.

A few remarks regarding a few large and fascinating projects that are not on the list below. Although there are some concerns about a possible Cannes stop for Apple’s Brad Pitt Formula One movie F1, we get the feeling that a Croisette premiere is unlikely for this one given its June release date. While a fall festival appearance isn’t out of the question, we assume that A24 and Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Supreme will avoid festivals in favor of popular films like Wolf of Wall Street and Catch Me If You Can, which are reportedly tonal inspirations, and the recent Chalamet film A Complete Unknown, which also had a Christmas Day release date. G. Alejandro. Not included in the 2025 festival schedule is Iñárritu’s eagerly awaited untitled Tom Cruise movie for WB and Legendary, which has just been scheduled for release in October 2026.

Great Eleanor.

This life-affirming story of a 90-year-old woman who returns to New York after decades of living in Florida and forges an unlikely friendship with a 19-year-old student marks the feature directorial debut of Marvel regular Scarlett Johansson. With her role in Sundance 2024 breakout Thelma, nonagenarian actress June Squibb is enjoying a late career renaissance. She leads a cast that also includes Erin Kellyman, Jessica Hecht, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

An orphan.

Following his 2018 follow-up Sunset and his 2015 Oscar-winning Holocaust drama Son of Saul, Hungarian director László Nemes’s third feature is expected to be highly anticipated. On the ruins of the 1956 Hungarian uprising against the communist dictatorship, a boy learns a sinister secret about his origins in Orphan, his first film in six years. Bojtorján Barabas, a newcomer, plays the 12-year-old protagonist whose life is turned upside down when a man from his mother’s World War II past shows up.

sentimental worth.

In this family drama, Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier reunites with Renate Reinsve, who starred in his Oscar-nominated film The Worst Person in the World. The story follows two sisters who must deal with their estranged father after their mother passes away. With his longtime partner Eskil Vogt, who has worked with Trier on The Worst Person in the World, Reprise, and Oslo, August 31st, Trier co-wrote the screenplay.

Letters in yellow.

German filmmaker Ilker Çatak draws on his Turkish heritage for this covert film, which was shot in Hamburg in the early summer of 2024. It tells the story of a married actress and a professor of dramatic arts at the university in Ankara whose lives are turned upside down when they are both fired because of “state arbitrariness.”. In 2023, Çatak’s final film, The Teachers Lounge, made its unnoticed debut in the Panorama section of the Berlinale before receiving a nomination for Best International Feature Film. This new movie won’t likely be as well-known when it opens at festivals.

Alpha. .

Julia Ducournau’s third feature is eagerly anticipated, four years after she stunned Cannes with her Palme d’Or-winning body horror film Titane. As with Titane, not much about the plot has been formally disclosed, aside from the main cast members Tahar Rahim and Golshifteh Farahani. According to French press reports, the drama takes place in the 1980s in the port city of Le Havre in northern France and centers on a girl who is shunned by her peers after it was rumored that she had developed an odd new disease. The movie has been called “Julia’s most personal, profound work yet” by sales representatives Filmnation and Charades. “”.

The machine that smashes.

Benny Safdie’s biopic, which traces the highs and lows of the champion’s turbulent life, stars Dwayne Johnson as MMA legend Mark Kerr and Emily Blunt as his patient partner. Johnson’s performance has generated a lot of attention; Blunt recently called the actor “extraordinary” in the part. With their subtly radical indie drama The Pleasure of Being Robbed, Safdie and her brother Josh began their filmmaking careers at Cannes in 2007. They returned there in 2017 with the competition-debuting film Good Time. A24’s largest budgetary endeavor to date.

The Agent in Secret.

Wagner Moura plays a man on the run in this political thriller, which is set against the backdrop of the military dictatorship in Brazil in the 1970s and was directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, a Brazilian who returns to his beloved coastal hometown of Recife. In the midst of carnival week’s intense atmosphere, the net closes in around him as he attempts to get back together with his son.

Greetings on your birthday.

Sarah Goher, an Egyptian American writer and producer, is pursuing a career as a director after years of closely collaborating with life and creative partner Mohamed Diab on his films, including Clash and the Marvel series Moon Knight. Her first film, which tells the story of an eight-year-old maid who is best friends with the daughter of the wealthy Cairo household where she works, examines classism in modern-day Egypt.

Water’s history.

The 2011 best-selling memoir of the same name by author Lidia Yuknavitch served as the inspiration for Kristen Stewart’s long-awaited feature directorial debut, which starred Imogen Poots. The story, which is characterized as a story about transforming trauma into art, follows the female lead Lidia from her early years in the Pacific Northwest to adulthood as she deals with mistakes and explosive misfires, children who nearly were, toxic relationships, and art heroes.

There was a time in Gaza.

The third film by Palestinian brothers Tarzan and Arab Nasser is marketed as a contemporary western set in the 2007 Gaza Strip. Against a dishonest police officer with an exaggerated ego, it centers on the improbable friendship between a student and a big-hearted, charismatic drug dealer. Although they haven’t been able to physically visit Gaza in over ten years, the twin brothers have already made a cinematic trip there with Dégradé and Gaza Mon Amour.

Romeria.

Starring as a teenager who attempts to establish a connection with her biological father’s family—a drug addict who passed away from AIDS when she was very young—newcomer Llúcia Garcia encounters a wall when her presence evokes unpleasant memories. Romeria is the last installment in a trilogy that was influenced by the extended family history of Spanish filmmaker Carla Simón. The first two films in the trilogy were Summer 1993 and Berlinale Golden Bear winner Alcarràs.

Sections 1 and 2 of De Gaulle.

With $38 million spent on each chapter, the two-part biopic directed by French filmmaker Antonin Baudry is currently one of France’s highest budget feature film projects. A stellar ensemble that includes Mathieu Kassovitz, Anamaria Vartolomei, Niels Schneider, and Simon Russell Beale (as Winston Churchill) joins Simon Abkarian (Notre Dame, Restless) in his role as President Charle De Gaulle. This could fit the Cannes tradition of showing mainstream French films with larger budgets during the second week of the festival.

Mission: The Final Reckoning: Impossible.

In 2022, Tom Cruise attended Cannes with Top Gun: Maverick and was honored with a fly past by the French Air Force’s aerobatic team, Patrouille de France. While there are currently no plans for this to happen, a Cannes splash for Paramount’s most recent installment in the franchise would be a lot of fun, especially considering its U.S. premiere. Could the star abseil off its Palais des Festivals in 2025 as a re-enactment of his Paris Olympics stunt? S. . We’ll have to hope that everything works out for the May 2025 theatrical release window.

Morte Cucina.

Thanatphon Boonsang, a newcomer, plays a talented young female chef in the thriller directed by Pen-ek Ratanaruang of Thailand. She initiates a plan of retaliation after a chance meeting with a man who sexually assaulted her as a teenager. Alongside veteran Thai actors Nopachai Chaiyanam and Kris Srepoomseth, whose precise roles have not yet been disclosed, the cast also includes Japanese star Tadanobu Asano. In charge of DoP is Christopher Doyle.

Dracula: A Tale of Love.

For this romantic adaptation of the Bram Stoker classic set in Belle Epoque Paris, Luc Besson teams up with Caleb Landry Jones, star of his comeback drama Dogman. The original UK settings of Whitby and London, as well as Dracula’s castle in Romania’s Transylvanian Mountains, are also included.

Families that rent.

Brendan Fraser plays an impoverished American long-term expat living in Tokyo who accepts a job at an agency that specializes in renting out family members. This is one of his first roles since his Oscar-winning performance in The Whale. It’s the second feature from Japanese American filmmaker Hikari, whose first picture, 37 Seconds, won an audience award when it debuted in the Panorama section of the 2019 Berlinale. She directed Beef and Tokyo Vice episodes in between. Fraser announced that the movie would be released in 2025 during a discussion event at the Red Sea Film Festival in December.

Mary, the mother.

The most recent work by David Lowery for A24 centers on the romance between a well-known fashion designer and a fictional musician. In their respective industries, Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel play lovers who are fighting for fame. Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, A Ghost Story, The Old Man & The Gun, and The Green Knight are among Lowery’s most well-known films. Although the fact that this one hasn’t been released yet isn’t encouraging—it started filming in 2023—the weather indicates that it will probably be in high demand.

The bride!

There are two Frankenstein-themed films on this list, including Maggie Gyllenhaal’s second feature as director (see Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein below). Billed as a science fiction monster musical, the film is based on James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein (1935), which was based on the original Mary Shelley classic. Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, and Annette Bening are at the top of Gyllenhaal’s celebrity cast. Warner Bros. plans to release it in the United States on September 26, 2025. S. which would be ideal for a festival launch in the fall.

13 Days, 13 Nights in Kabul’s Hell.

This contemporary drama, directed by French filmmaker Martin Bourboulon, follows the success of the two-part hit The Three Musketeers and the upscale period drama Eiffel. Roschdy Zem plays the role of real-life French Commander Mohamed Bida, who was in charge of security at the French embassy, the last Western mission still standing when the Taliban advanced on Kabul after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan. S. . men in August 2021. Danish Bafta-winning Borgen actors Lyna Khoudri and Sidse Babett Knudsen join him in the cast.

paradise.

In his first fiction feature, Canadian filmmaker Jeremy Comte, whose 2019 Oscar-nominated short film Fauve, tells the story of two young men who live in Canada and Africa and who become connected through their quest to learn the truth about their fathers’ absence.

The Prisoner.

The life-altering experiences of Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, who was kidnapped by Turkish pirates in 1575 and held for ransom are examined by Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar. This opulent historical drama marks Amenábar’s first feature film in six years, following a series debut with the Moviestar+ adventure drama Fortune.

late celebrity.

Opposite Greta Lee, a volatile yet seductive theater actress who completely transforms his life, Willem Dafoe co-stars as a forgotten poet whose work is rediscovered by a group of young artists. The U. S. . In addition to his recent writing credits on Martin Scorsese’s Life of Jesus and Home, which he co-wrote with Todd Fields, director and writer Kent Jones is the director of Diane.

The fires.

In this intense adaptation of her countryman Sigríður Hagalín’s best-selling novel of the same name, Ugla Hauksdóttir, who has directed the streamer shows Hanna, Snowfall, and The Power, returns to her home country of Iceland. Vigdís Hrefna Pálsdóttir plays a volcanologist who manages a lethal volcanic eruption and a romance with a photographer, portrayed by Danish actress Pilou Asbæk. At the Les Arcs work in progress showcase in December, the first footage was greeted with applause, and Netop Films producers Grimar Jonsson and Atli Örvarsson confirmed they were planning a festival premiere.

Filipiña.

The title of the short film, which was expanded by Filipino director Rafael Manuel and Jia Zhang-Ke protégé, follows the titular Filipiñana, a tee-girl at a prestigious golf course and country club in Manila, as she learns the ropes and pushes the limits of her new career. Numerous awards, including Berlin’s Silver Bear for best short film, were given to the original short.

Dao. .

In the film, Béatrice Mendy plays a woman who makes peace with her past and present while planning her daughter’s wedding in a suburb outside of Paris, just after burying her father in a solemn ceremony in Guinea-Bissau. After Thelonious Monk documentary Rewind & Play and Kinshasa-set 2017 Berlinale Grand Jury Prize winner Felicité, this is French Senegalese filmmaker Alain Gomis’ sixth feature.

Musk. .

The unstoppable Alex Gibney takes on the controversial owner of Tesla and X as well as the recently appointed political kingmaker. It has been dubbed a “definitive and unvarnished examination” of Musk, the businessman who made headlines all over 2024. Black Bear International recently sold the international rights to Universal Pictures Content Group, while HBO Documentary Films still owns the rights for North American TV and streaming. It will be difficult to determine when to halt production on this one because of the rapid pace of political change and Musk’s expanding influence in all spheres of life. Production is still ongoing.

levity.

For this story about a young musician who wants to become a spirit channeler and gets entangled in a fight to protect a village’s holy spring, Indonesian filmmaker Wregas Bhanuteja draws inspiration from his nation’s traditional trance party culture. In 2016, Bhanuteja became the first Indonesian filmmaker to win a Cannes prize for her short film Prenjak. In Toronto, his second film, Andragogy, made its debut.

Jolie and Marie.

Inspired by a meeting with an Ivorian journalist who later became a pastor, Tunisian filmmaker Erige Sehiri examines themes of sisterhood and belonging in this story about three Sub-Saharan African women who share a home in an old house in Tunis that also hides an evangelical church. With the 2021 Venice premiere of Under The Fig Trees, Sehiri previously made waves on the festival circuit.

Emergency Exit.

With this tale of 14 characters trapped in a mysterious vehicle traveling through fantasy landscapes, renowned Spanish producer Lluís Miñarro (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Still The Water, Tehran Blues) returns to the director’s chair. Emma Suárez, French actress Arielle Dombasle, Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase, and Marisa Paredes of Spain, who played one of her final roles before passing away in December, are among the cast members.

warm milk.

This adaptation of Deborah Levy’s 2016 novel, which explores the complicated relationship between a mother and daughter on vacation in Almeria, Spain, marks the directorial debut of Rebecca Lenkiewicz, author of She Said and Ida. Vicky Krieps portrays an incredibly enigmatic traveler who crosses Emma Mackey’s path, while Fiona Shaw plays the wheelchair-bound mother opposite Emma Mackey as her long-suffering, aimless daughter. Filmmakers are finding great success with UK novelist Levy’s work; her 2011 book Swimming Home, adapted by Justine Anderson, has been chosen for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. We’ve heard that Berlin will probably get Hot Milk.

“The Ice Tower”.

Oscar winner Marion Cotillard co-stars with newcomer Clara Pacini in this story, which is set in the 1970s, about a runaway orphan who, after surreptitiously watching The Snow Queen being filmed in a studio where she has sought safety, is captivated by its mysterious star. Earwig, which won the Special Jury Prize at its 2021 San Sebastian premiere, was the last festival film directed by Lucile Hadzihalilovic.

Chien, age 51.

The sixth film by Cédric Jimenez, which is based on the dystopian novel of the same name by Laurent Gaudé, takes place in Paris in 2045 and shows the populace living under continual video surveillance that is controlled by Alma, an artificial intelligence (AI) system. The police inspector Salia Malberg (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and the downtrodden cop Zem Sparak (Gilles Lellouche), who are assigned to find the murderer of Alma’s inventor, have promised a work reminiscent of Minority Report. November and The Stronghold, his two most recent films, were both Out of Competition at Cannes.

Orwell.

In this documentary, Alex Gibney and Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro) examine the life and work of Animal Farm and 1984 author George Orwell. Neon is the owner of the North American rights to Orwell, a maverick English novelist renowned for his scathingly satirical criticisms of authoritarianism. Co-producing companies are Anonymous Content, Velvet Films, and Jigsaw Productions.

The Echo Valley.

This thriller, which stars the highly sought-after Sydney Sweeney, follows a horse trainer’s daughter as she deals with personal tragedy. Julianne Moore and Domhnall Gleeson are Sweeney’s co-stars. Brad Ingelsby is the writer and Michael Pearce (Beast) is the director of Apple TV+’s film. Given that filming started back in the summer of 2023, this one is taking a little longer to come to light.

Fuori.

The autobiographical book L’Università di Rebibbia by the late Italian actress and author Goliarda Sapienza served as an inspiration for Italian filmmaker Mario Martone. After being imprisoned for stealing an acquaintance’s jewelry, Valerio Golino plays a misfit actress and writer who finds forgiveness and understanding from other young prisoners. She maintains her friendships with the women after being freed, which disturbs her intellectual circle. Martone, a frequent attendee at Cannes and Venice, won a Palme d’Or for his most recent film, Nostalgia, which also helped Italy win an Oscar in 2022–2023.

The Nouvelle Vague.

Using Zoey Deutch as the American star Jean Seberg, Richard Linklater recreates the making of the 1960 New Wave classic, Breathless, 65 years after Jean-Luc Godard won best director at the Berlinale. It is shot in black and white and features a number of historical figures, such as Juliette Greco (Alix Bénézech), Agnès Varda (Roxane Rivière), Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin), and the film’s cinematographer, Raoul Coutard. Breathless served as the model for Linklater’s previous improvised shoot on early picture Slacker. Boyhood, the director’s most recent big hit at the festival circuit, had its world premiere at the 2014 Berlinale.

Pruning Rosebush.

The main actors in this Karim Aïnouz remake of Italian director Marco Bellocchio’s 1965 debut film Fists in the Pocket are Callum Turner, Riley Keough, and Elle Fanning. The director of Firebrand and Motel Destino worked on the screenplay with Efthimis Filippou, a longtime collaborator of Yorgos Lanthimos (Kinds of Kindness, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Lobster). “A contemporary parable about the explosion of the traditional patriarchal family” is what he promises.

The Wave.

The feminist civil disobedience wave that swept Chile in the spring of 2018 served as the inspiration for the musical film directed by Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman Sebastián Lelio. The widespread demonstrations, which were prompted by a shared desire to draw attention to the mistreatment and harassment of women, became known as the “Feminist May.”. In partnership with award-winning composer Matthew Herbert, 17 female Chilean musicians have composed its original music.

dreams.

Jessica Chastain and Mexican director Michel Franco reunite for the second time, following their initial collaboration on Memory. Chastain plays a socialite and philanthropist whose lover, Fernando (played by real-life professional dancer Isaac Hernández), is a ballet dancer who leaves Mexico to join her in the United States. S in a move that will unpleasantly interrupt her meticulously planned life.

Friend, keep quiet.

Taking place in the botanical gardens of Marburg, Germany, the seventh film by Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi tells three human stories that are entwined with a century-old tree. Alongside Léa Seydoux, Luna Wedler, and Enzo Brumm, Tony Leung Chiu-wai plays a visiting neuroscientist in the film The Mood For Love. Enyedi, who won the Cannes Caméra d’Or for his 1989 debut film My Twentieth Century, last appeared at a festival with The Story of My Wife, which took part in the 2020 Cannes Competition. In 2017, Enyedi won the Berlin Golden Bear for On Body and Soul.

Vie Privée.

Jodie Foster plays a famous psychiatrist who launches an investigation after one of her patients passes away under suspicious circumstances in the murder mystery film directed by Rebecca Zlotowski, which was made in France. Daniel Auteuil, Luana Bajrami, Mathieu Amalric, Vincent Lacoste, and Virginie Efira join her in the cast. After Dear Prudence, Grand Central, Planetarium, An Easy Girl, and Other People’s Children, this is Zlotowski’s sixth movie.

Arabella’s kidnapping.

The film’s star, Benedetta Porcaroli, reunites with Italian director Carolina Cavalli, who made waves in Venice and Toronto in 2022 with her debut film Amanda. The story follows a social misfit who thinks she is the wrong version of herself until she meets a 7-year-old girl who makes her reconsider. Chris Pine plays his first role speaking Italian in the cast.

Before You.

The first film directed by Palestinian Annemarie Jacir in seven years is expected to be her most ambitious work to date. A young farmer, a struggling widow, a resistance leader, and an affluent Jerusalem socialite are just a few of the characters that explore the events leading up to the 1936–1939 Great Revolt, in which the local population rebelled against British colonial rule. The story is set against the backdrop of Palestine under the British Mandate. Jacir directed an episode of Ramy set in the West Bank in between his most recent festival appearance, which was the father-son story Wajib, set in Nazareth.

The world is both sad and beautiful.

With credits including the popular TV series Beirut, I Love You, which she co-created with Mounia Akl, and the documentary Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano, which documented the challenging 2020 production of her feature Costa Brava, Lebanon, Cyril Aris has long been a creative force in Lebanon’s film and television industries. Over the course of thirty years, a couple from Beirut navigates love and parenthood against the backdrop of civil war, peace, and then economic crisis in his timely fiction feature debut. Akl co-stars with Hassan Akil.

Aisha isn’t able to fly.

The drama, which is about a young Sudanese woman who lives in a neighborhood of Cairo that is home to a sizable African immigrant community, is the feature debut of Egyptian filmmaker Morad Mostafa, who previously served as assistant director on Ayten Amin’s widely acclaimed 2020 drama Souad. When a local gang offers Aisha protection in return for a favor, her circumstances take a turn for the worse amid the violent tensions that exist between Egyptians and various African nationalities.

Rum.

The WW2 coming-of-age drama, directed by German-Turkish filmmaker Fatih Akin, takes place in the spring of 1945 on the island of Amrum in the North Sea, during the closing stages of World War Two. In order to help his mother provide for the family, the young boy has worked in the fields, hunted seals, and fished throughout the conflict. He must navigate a new reality after peace is declared because new conflicts start to emerge. German actors Diane Kruger and Laura Tonke co-star with newcomer Jasper Billerbeck as the young lead. The script is based on the early recollections of Akin’s longtime friend, German filmmaker and screenwriter Hark Bohm.

The Sett.

Following the 2024 release of biopics about legendary musicians Bob Dylan (A Complete Unknown), Amy Winehouse (Back to Black), and Maria Callas (Maria), the 2025 release will tell the story of the well-known Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum. The late singer is portrayed by well-known Egyptian actor Mona Zaki in the film, which was directed by Marwan Hamed from a screenplay by Ahmed Mourad. The film centers on Umm Kulthum, a sickly singer who reflects on her journey from poverty to becoming one of Egypt’s greatest singers of the 20th century, if not the Arab world, after her performance following Egypt’s defeat in the 1967 Six Day War.

roofer.

Channing Tatum plays the real-life character of Jeffrey Manchester, a quirky and endearing serial thief who broke into over 60 McDonald’s restaurants overnight via their roofs. In the morning, after forcing employees into freezers, he emptied the cash register. Blue Valentine, director Derek Cianfrance’s second film, debuted at Cannes in 2010. His most recent A-list festival appearance was The Light Between Oceans, which competed in Venice in 2016.

Not a choice.

The Ax, written by American novelist Donald Westlake and published in 1996, is the basis for the dark comedy and 12th feature film directed by veteran Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook. In the film, Korean actor Lee Byung-hun plays the role of a middle-aged protagonist who, after losing his job at a paper company, is unable to find another one and begins snuffing out other applicants in a competitive job market. Park, a frequent attendee of Cannes, won best director for Decision to Leave, which placed him last at the festival.

“Hedda.”.

In this epic retelling of Henrik Ibsen’s 1891 stage play Hedda Gabler, which centers on a general’s daughter who is stuck in a marriage and a home she does not want, Nia DaCosta reunites with Creed III star Tessa Thompson. Thompson and DaCosta previously collaborated on the former’s well-received 2018 debut, Little Woods. Imogen Poots and Tom Bateman are also part of the cast.

Anemone.

To star in his son Ronan Day-Lewis’s feature film debut, which he co-wrote, Daniel Day-Lewis came out of retirement. The cast of the movie, which also includes Sean Bean and Samantha Morton, explores the relationships between fathers, sons, and brothers through individual journeys and generational disputes. Day-Lewis won an Oscar for Phantom Thread, which was his most recent festival appearance.

The Baktan Cross Battle.

Little more than the cast, which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Alana Haim, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris, and Benicio del Toro, has been made public about Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming crime-drama-thriller. It is Anderson’s first feature since Licorice Pizza, his Oscar-nominated drama from 2019, which was unable to attend festivals because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sound’s History.

Oliver Hermanus’s historical romantic drama, which is based on a short story of the same name, stars Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor. The film follows the relationship between two young men who meet in 1916 and go on a journey together to document the folk songs of their fellow countrymen in rural New England. Bill Nighy and writer Kazuo Ishiguro received Oscar nominations for their successful film Living.

Lee Ann.

The Brutalist’s seven-time Golden Globe nominee team is preparing for an equally prominent 2025 festival run with this dazzling musical, which is based on the life of real-life religious leader Ann Lee. The founder of the Shaker Movement created one of the biggest utopian societies in American history, and her followers declared her to be the female Christ. Alongside her life partner and fellow filmmaker Brady Corbet, who won a Venice Silver Lion for The Brutalist, Mona Fastvold (The World To Come) co-wrote the screenplay and serves as director and producer. Playing the title role of sect leader is Amanda Seyfried.

stitches.

For this investigation of the Paris high fashion scene, which is dominated by Angelina Jolie, French director Alice Winocour has assembled a well-known cast. Three main characters whose lives intersect during Paris Fashion Week are at the center of the plot. It is shot in both French and English, much like Winocour’s 2019 film Proxima, which stars Eva Green. Paris Memories, the director’s final film, was shown during Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in 2022.

after the hunt. .

Ayo Edebiri, Julia Roberts, and Andrew Garfield are the main actors in Luca Guadagnino’s most recent film. The film, which was written by Nora Garrett and was filmed in Cambridge and London, is characterized as a thriller with a college professor at a crossroads in both her personal and professional life after a star student accuses one of her colleagues. The self-described “Venice filmmaker” Guadagnino won Best Director at the festival with Bones and All and has put his last four films on the Lido.

Phoenicia’s Plan.

With the exception of information about its all-star cast, which includes Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera, Bill Murray, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Rupert Friend, Willem Dafoe, and Bryan Cranston, Wes Anderson’s highly anticipated spy comedy-drama thriller is mainly unknown. In 2023, Anderson’s medium-length film, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, received a special screening in Venice and was last seen at festivals.

Highest 2 Lowest.

The reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller High and Low marks Spike Lee’s reunion with longtime collaborator Denzel Washington. An executive at a shoe company in Yokohama is the target of extortion in Kurosawa’s original film after his chauffeur’s son is unintentionally abducted and held hostage. During the Red Sea Film Festival in December, Lee told Deadline, “Denzel Washington is a music mogul in our film with his own label and his reputation as the best ears in the business.”. In 1963, Kurosawa made his Venice premiere of High and Low. Would Lee stick with Cannes or take a cue from Kurosawa?

Stealing was captured.

With this New York-set crime thriller, which is based on a Charlie Huston book series, Darren Aronofsky returns to more familiar territory after his ambitious technology-driven work Postcard from Earth. Austin Butler plays the lead role of Hank Thompson, a dejected former baseball player who finds himself in a desperate struggle for survival in the 1990s New York criminal underworld’s downtown. Aronofsky’s most recent appearance at an A-list festival was with The Whale, which made its debut in Venice in 2023 before making appearances in Toronto.

A Little Player’s Ballad.

After the Oscar-winning World War I drama All Quiet On The Western Front and the Vatican-set intrigue Conclave, German director Edward Berger creates this psychological thriller set in Macau’s casinos. Colin Farrell plays a high-stakes gambler who chooses to hide in the peninsular after his debts and lies catch up with him. There, he meets Tilda Swinton’s character, a kindred spirit who may be the answer to his salvation. Berger’s creative partnership and worldwide first-look deal with Netflix, through his company Nine Hours, began with this film.

The wind’s path.

Terrence Malick’s eagerly anticipated film, which chronicles significant moments in Jesus’ life, is anticipated to premiere at Cannes this year, approximately five years after filming concluded (though it was anticipated in previous years as well). Jesus is portrayed by Hungarian actor Géza Röhrig (Son of Saul), who also stars Matthias Schoenaerts, Mark Rylance, and Ben Kingsley Malick. Malick’s most recent festival appearance was A Hidden Life, which debuted in Competition at Cannes in 2019.

At the ocean.

Vanessa Kirby, the lead in the penultimate film directed by Kornél Mundruczó of Hungary, won both an Oscar nomination and the Venice Best Actress award. Amy Adams, a six-time Academy Award nominee, plays a woman adjusting to the next phase of her life without the career that brought her fame, wealth, and, most importantly, her sense of self in his latest film. Other members of the cast include Rainn Wilson, Chloe East, Jenny Slate, Brett Goldstein, Murray Bartlett, and Dan Levy.

The Hamnet.

This adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 award-winning novel about the life of William Shakespeare marks Chloé Zhao’s first foray into historical drama. She previously tapped into the zeitgeist with the Oscar-winning Nomadland and then fantasy with the Marvel saga The Eternals. Jessie Buckley plays his wife Agnes, and Paul Mescal plays the playwright and poet as they cope with the loss of their 11-year-old son.

The Frankenstein.

Nearly two decades after Guillermo del Toro said he “would kill to make” a Miltonian tragedy version of Frankenstein, his dream has finally come true. Oscar Isaac plays the mad scientist Victor Frankenstein, who gives him life, and Jacob Elordi plays the iconic monster in his Netflix-backed adaptation of Mary Shelley’s beloved novel. In addition, Christian Convery, Lars Mikkelsen, Christian Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, and David Bradley are part of the ensemble cast.

Brother, Sister, Mother, and Father.

The cast of this drama about family relationships, which stars Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Tom Waits, Charlotte Rampling, Indya Moore, and Luka Sabbat, was put together by Jim Jarmusch. The film is referred to as a triptych and centers on three distinct tales of challenging familial relationships, Father, Mother, and Sister Brother, each of which is set against a different Northeast U setting. A. Paris, Dublin. Jarmusch’s zombie film The Dead Won’t Die with Driver, which made its Cannes premiere in competition in 2019, was his most recent appearance on the A-list festival circuit.

Offer up something.

Anya Taylor-Joy plays Joan, a fervent figure motivated by a volcanic prophecy who kidnaps three hostages because she believes they must be sacrificed for the sake of humanity in this loose adaptation of the Joan of Arc story by French director Romain Gavras. Charli XCX, who popularized the term “Brat Summer,” is accompanied by a popular supporting cast that includes Jeremy O., Ambika Mod, and John Malkovich. Harris.

After 28 years.

28 Years Later marks Alex Garland and Danny Boyle’s reunion, nearly 20 years after the last installment of their well-liked zombie series. Jack O’Connell, Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes star in the film, which is a follow-up to the 2002 film 28 Days Later. Sony has scheduled a release date of June 20, 2025; the trailer nearly went viral online. We hear that there are currently no plans for that, but what a fun addition it would be to the Croisette.

Hamlet.

Filmmaker Aneil Karia returned with this contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic play after receiving criticism for his first feature, Surge, which debuted at Sundance. In the retelling of Hamlet, starring Riz Ahmed, the action shifts from affluent London to the city’s underground, from Hindu temples to homeless tent cities. Joe Alwyn and Morfydd Clark also star.

Bugonia.

In this remake of the South Korean sci-fi comedy Save the Green Planet, Yorgos Lanthimos reunites with Emma Stone, who worked on Poor Things and Kind of Kindness! CJ ENM worked at sq\. Peg with Lars Knudsen and Ari Aster to create the English-language version. In the film, two conspiracy-crazy young men abduct the powerful CEO of a large corporation, believing her to be an extraterrestrial with plans to destroy Earth. Another star is Jesse Plemons. The November 7, 2025, release date set by Focus Features would be ideal for a Venice premiere, where Lanthimos won the Golden Lion for Poor Things in 2023.

67th Summer (also known as 67 Summer).

The third feature film by Egyptian director Abu Bakr Shawky, which is set in 1967 against the backdrop of the Arab-Israeli Six Day War, centers on the pen pal relationship between a young man in Cairo who wants to play concert piano and an Austrian girl who encourages him to pursue his desires. Following its release to the public, Shawky’s second film, the camel racing drama Hajjan, was one of the first films to be filmed in Saudi Arabia. His first film, Yommedine, made waves when it debuted at Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2018. Valerie Pachner, Amir El-Masry, and Nelly Karim are at the top of the cast.

Elio.

In the most recent film from Pixar, Elio, an underdog with a vivid imagination, is unintentionally welcomed into the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization that includes representatives from galaxies all over the world. While learning who he really is meant to be, he begins to build new relationships with strange aliens after being mistakenly identified as Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe. This film, which is coming out in June, has a long history with Cannes and Annecy.

Contributions to this report came from Liz Shackleton, Damon Wise, Baz Bamigboye, and Mike Fleming Jr.