Cannes 2025: 'It Was Just an Accident' Wins Palme d'Or; 'The Secret Agent,' 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' Highlighted

The 2025 Cannes Film Festival concluded with Jafar Panahi's 'It Was Just an Accident' winning the Palme d'Or, while Kleber Mendonça Filho's 'The Secret Agent' received Best Director and Best Actor for Wagner Moura. Joachim Trier's 'Sentimental Value' was awarded the Grand Prix, with Jury Prizes going to Mascha Schilinski's 'Sound of Falling' and Oliver Laxe's 'Sirat.' Other recognized films included Lynne Ramsay's 'Die, My Love,' starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, Richard Linklater's 'Nouvelle Vague,' Ari Aster's 'Eddington,' Kristen Stewart's directorial debut 'The Chronology of Water,' and Harris Dickinson's 'Urchin.' Akinola Davies Jr.'s 'My Father's Shadow' was the first Nigerian film in Cannes' official selection. Panels at the festival focused on new models for independent filmmakers to build audiences and distribute films, with contributions from Richard Olla and Leila Meadow O’Connor. Scarlett Johansson received a six-minute standing ovation for her directorial debut, 'Eleanor the Great,' at Cannes. She also appeared at the New York premiere of Wes Anderson's 'The Phoenician Scheme'—which holds a 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes—wearing a coral Saint Laurent gown. Tom Hanks, who plays Leland, and other cast members attended the event. Promotional activities for 'Jurassic World: Rebirth,' directed by Gareth Edwards and produced by Steven Spielberg, have intensified ahead of its July 2, 2025 release. Scarlett Johansson stars as Zora Bennett, leading a team to a dangerous island to retrieve dinosaur DNA. The film features new dinosaurs, including titanosaurus and quetzalcoatlus, and highlights threats such as the mosasaurus. The cast includes Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, and Rupert Friend.