CANNES, France (AP) 鈥� This year's Cannes Film Festival is over, ending in dramatic fashion with a power outage ahead of the closing ceremony that bestowed the 鈥淚t Was Just an Accident.鈥�
This year's festival included as Cannes has become increasingly important to the Oscars鈥� best picture hopefuls. As the festival drew to close Saturday, it was clear that filmmakers are reckoning with that closely resemble current events.
This year's festival was an attention-grabbing affair since its start 鈥� from new rules for its red carpets, nerves about potential U.S. tariffs and the return of Tom Cruise.
Even in a normal year, Cannes is a lot to keep up with. Here's a handy guide of what's happened so far, what's left and what it may mean.
An eventful last day
A power outage caused by arson affected southern France on Saturday, leaving Cannes without power. The closing ceremony was never threatened due to an alternate power source but it briefly brought another layer of uncertainty to the 12-day festival.
The awards ended with Panahi's win for his revenge drama and a call to action by the director, who he planned to return to Iran after the festival.
鈥淟et us join forces,鈥� said Panahi, who has been blocked from leaving Iran for 15 years. 鈥淣o one should dare tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, what we should do or what we should not do. The cinema is a society. Nobody is entitled to tell what we should or refrain from doing.鈥�
The Grand Prix, or second prize, was awarded to Joachim Trier鈥檚 Norwegian family drama his lauded follow-up to 鈥淭he Worst Person in the World.鈥� Some had expected 鈥淪entimental Value鈥� to win the Palme, but Trier 鈥� whose film reunites him with actor Renate Reinsve 鈥� still took a major prize.
Another big winner was 鈥淭he Secret Agent,鈥� which took home awards for best director for Filho and best actor for Wagner Moura.
What's happened during Cannes' second week
Monday brought a pair of surprises thanks to Spike Lee's latest film, 鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest.鈥� The first was an who arrived for the premiere on a whirlwind trip on his only day off from starring in 鈥淥thello鈥� on Broadway.
Another surprise came after the movie's premiere, when Rihanna walked the red carpet with partner A$AP Rocky, who also stars in the film.
how 鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest,鈥� an homage to an Akira Kurosawa film made with Lee's indelible stamp, relates to the original.
鈥淚 grew up with my mother taking me to musicals,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he Sound of Music鈥� was one. 鈥淚f you listen to that great song by Rogers and Hammerstein with Julie Andrews singing it. What did Coltrane do to it? That鈥檚 my analogy. What Coltrane did to 鈥楳y Favorite Things,鈥� I think that鈥檚 what we did with this.鈥�
One of the festival's biggest positive receptions came Wednesday for Trier's 鈥淪entimental Value.鈥�
The film stars Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsg氓rd and Elle Fanning and is Trier's follow-up to While predicting what will win the Palme d'Or is notoriously difficult, a win for 鈥淪entimental Value鈥� would mark the first time a Norwegian film took the festival's top honor.
Fresh off hosting 鈥淪aturday Night Live,鈥� 鈥淓leanor the Great,鈥� in the Un Certain Regard section. The movie is a funny and tender, character-driven, New York-set film starring June Squibb as a woman who coopts her late friend's Holocaust survival story.
On Thursday evening, many of the stars in the area for Cannes attended the amfAR gala to raise money for AIDS research and prevention effort. this year: a walk-on role in Lee's next movie and artwork by James Franco and Adrien Brody.
Some early standout moments from Cannes
Cannes opened last Tuesday with a 49 years after 鈥淭axi Driver鈥� won the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or. De Niro used his own honorary Palme to assail U.S. President Donald Trump, a frequent target of his criticism.
He also basked in the adoration of some of film's elite, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Quentin Tarantino.
Cannes debuted a complex 4K restoration of 鈥淭he Gold Rush,鈥� , timed to the film's 100th anniversary. 鈥淥ur grandfather would be really proud to see this, a hundred years later, to see all you here and interested in seeing the film,鈥� said Kiera Chaplin to a packed screening.
on Day 2 with the latest 鈥淢ission: Impossible鈥� installment, 鈥淔inal Reckoning.鈥� For such a high-flying franchise, Cruise kept his feet on the ground. That aligned with a recent trend 鈥� Jerry Seinfeld in a bee costume and other big stunts.
That Thursday, news broke that the French actor Th茅o Navarro-Mussy from attending the premiere of the competition entry 鈥淐ase 137鈥� in what's believed to be a first for Navarro-Mussy has been accused of rape in a case that remains on appeal.
The next day, Bono premiered his documentary, 鈥淏ono: Stories of Surrender.鈥� the rock superstar talked about the insights the project has given him (including a deeper appreciation for his late father), his concerns about the dismantling of USAID and his first impression of Pope Leo XIV.
Ari Aster also debuted his COVID-era film
Over the weekend, Richard Linklater's latest, 鈥淣ouvelle Vague,鈥� So too did Jennifer Lawrence's performance in Lynne Ramsay's 鈥淒ie, My Love,鈥� Kristen Stewart, among a spate of actors at Cannes this year, premiered 鈥淭he Chronology of Water鈥� in the festival's Un Certain Regard section. With her film, Stewart is trying to that directing is for a select few.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such a fallacy that you need to have an unbelievable tool kit or some kind of credential,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t really is if you have something to say, then a movie can fall out of you very elegantly.鈥�
鈥淢y Father's Shadow鈥� to play as an official Cannes selection with its debut in the Un Certain Regard section.
鈥淚t means a lot to people back in Nigeria. It means we can exist on these platforms and our stories can exist in these spaces,鈥� said director Akinola Davies Jr. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a testament to talent that鈥檚 around in Nigeria. It鈥檚 a testament to the stories that are there. It鈥檚 a testament to the industry that鈥檚 flourishing.鈥�
New red carpet rules, and how stars responded
One of the buzziest moves by Cannes this year so far has been its by festivalgoers and so too are 鈥渧oluminous鈥� outfits, in particular those with a large train.
The move to ban nude looks comes amid the 鈥渘aked dress鈥� trend on red carpets, including and many of the outfits after the Oscars.
Cannes press officers said last week the festival 鈥渕ade explicit in its charter certain rules that have long been in effect.鈥�
So how did stars at Cannes respond?
Halle Berry, who is on the festival jury headed by Juliette Binoche, told reporters she would abide by it and had changed her opening night look.
While risque looks have been in short supply, including dresses worn by Heidi Klum, Chinese actor Wan QianHui and others. Berry stayed within the rules for the final night, but fellow jury member Alba Rohrwacher opted for an outfit with a large pink skirt that created some space between her and her colleagues.
What might Cannes call fowl on next?
People on the carpet in bird costumes, perhaps, as happened when at the premiere of 鈥淒ie, My Love.鈥�
At least it didn't spread its wings for the cameras.
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For more coverage of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit .
The Associated Press
