Cannes 2025: India’s Neeraj Ghaywan, Wes Anderson, Tom Cruise & Scarlett Johansson lead line-up

The 78th Cannes Film Festival is set to kick off on May 13, and this year’s lineup is a strong mix of familiar names and fresh talent. Festival head Thierry Frémaux and president Iris Knobloch revealed the Official Selection at a press event in Paris, mentioning 19 films competing for the Palme d’Or and a record number of entries, over 2,900.

Among the big names returning to the Croisette are Wes Anderson, the Dardenne Brothers, Richard Linklater, and Julia Ducournau. Ducournau, who made waves in 2021 with her Palme d’Or-winning Titane, is back with Alpha. Wes Anderson’s latest, The Phoenician Scheme, is a spy comedy with a star-studded cast including Benicio del Toro and Michael Cera.

The Dardenne Brothers, two-time Palme winners, return for a tenth time with The Young Mother’s Home, set in a shelter for young mothers. Other notable entries include Richard Linklater’s French-language film Nouvelle Vague, about the making of Godard’s Breathless, and Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, a family drama reuniting him with actor Renate Reinsve.

This year’s Competition sees six women directors, including Hafsia Herzi, Kelly Reichardt, Carla Simon, Mascha Schilinski, Chie Hayakawa, and Ducournau. Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar) makes his Competition debut with Eddington, a Western starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal set during a pandemic-era power struggle.

India finds a place in the Un Certain Regard section with Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound. Ghaywan had earlier made a strong mark with Masaan in 2015, which also played in the same category. Details about Homebound are still under wraps, but the selection continues a steady presence for Indian filmmakers at Cannes.

Actor-directors Scarlett Johansson and Harris Dickinson also debut in the Un Certain Regard category with their films Eleanor The Great and Urchin respectively. The section, known for championing rising voices, includes films from across the globe, from Gaza to Japan.

French star Juliette Binoche will lead this year’s Competition jury, marking two consecutive years of women jury presidents. Meanwhile, Tom Cruise returns to Cannes for the world premiere of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

From political thrillers to deeply personal stories, the 2025 line-up reflects both the pulse of global cinema and the changing tides of storytelling, and it is a good sign.