As the red carpet rolls out on the sun-drenched French Riviera, the 78th Cannes Film Festival promises a vibrant celebration of cinema, bridging the past, present, and future of storytelling. With a carefully curated selection of competition titles, restorations, and breakout debuts, 2025 is shaping up to be a landmark year. Here are the most talked-about films that have critics, cinephiles, and industry insiders buzzing:
1. Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest) – Cannes Classics
Satyajit Ray’s Aranyer Din Ratri, a timeless gem from 1970, returns to the Cannes spotlight as part of the Cannes Classics programme. Restored in a historic collaboration between Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation, India’s Film Heritage Foundation, and The Criterion Collection, the film is a reflective ode to urban ennui and rural awakening. The story of four friends escaping the city to seek meaning in the wilderness, Ray’s humanistic touch and immersive lens offer a contemplative experience that remains profoundly relevant. Its selection is a proud moment for Indian cinema and a reminder of the auteur’s global legacy.
2. Charak (Fear of Faith)
Sudipto Sen’s Charak has stirred interest for its visceral narrative rooted in Bengal’s ancient Charak Puja ritual. The film, steeped in blood, devotion, and socio-political undertones, follows a young man’s descent into transcendence as his body becomes a battleground between faith and fanaticism. With bold imagery and thematic urgency, Charak is positioned to provoke dialogue and awe, a potential breakout at this year’s festival.
3. Homebound
Indian filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan makes a powerful return to Cannes after Masaan with Homebound, a poignant tale about dignity, friendship, and the aspirations of small-town India. Starring Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa, the film follows two young men chasing a future in the police force while confronting their identities in a society where justice often walks a crooked line. Selected for Un Certain Regard, Homebound exemplifies the new wave of Indian cinema, rooted in realism, yet universally resonant.
4. Leave One Day (Partir Un Jour) – Opening Film
Cannes 2025 opens with a poetic new voice, Amelie Bonnin. The French debutante filmmaker ushers in the festival with Leave One Day, a quiet yet stirring exploration of love, departure, and memory. With its melancholic title echoing the delicate beauty of French chanson, the film is set to premiere amidst starry glamour and global anticipation. Bonnin’s lyrical sensibility positions her as a promising torchbearer of France’s cinematic tradition.
5. Die, My Love – Competition Section
Lynne Ramsay, the Scottish auteur known for her emotionally potent cinema, returns with Die, My Love, an adaptation of Ariana Harwicz’s searing novel about postpartum psychosis and feminine rage. With Jennifer Lawrence leading a powerhouse cast that includes Robert Pattinson, LaKeith Stanfield, Sissy Spacek, and Nick Nolte, Ramsay’s new film promises to be one of the most electrifying and emotionally raw entries in the competition. After an eight-year hiatus, her return to the Croisette is among the most anticipated.
6. Nouvelle Vague – A Love Letter to the French New Wave
Richard Linklater ventures into European cine-history with Nouvelle Vague, a homage to the revolutionary spirit of 1960s French cinema. Centred on the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless, the film features Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg and a largely French ensemble. Known for his deeply conversational storytelling, Linklater is expected to deliver a meta-cinematic experience, charming, self-aware, and steeped in love for the craft. For cinephiles, it’s a dream within a dream.
7. A Doll Made Up of Clay – Film School Competition
A promising Indian entry in the La Cinef section (Cannes’ film school competition), A Doll Made Up of Clay signals the rise of the next generation. Exploring gender, identity, and belonging through the eyes of a young girl in rural India, the short is a poetic allegory about moulding oneself in a world that demands conformity. Its inclusion underlines the festival’s commitment to nurturing bold, student storytellers from around the world.