What's happened at the Cannes Film Festival so far — and what's still to
come
[May 17, 2025]
CANNES, France (AP) — This year's Cannes Film Festival just got
going this week, but it's already been an attention-grabbing affair,
from new rules for its red carpets, nerves about potential U.S. tariffs
and the return of Tom Cruise.
And that says nothing about the films, expected to be a strong slate as
Cannes is seen as increasingly important to the Oscars' best picture
hopefuls.
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 to expect and what it may mean.
What's happened so far at Cannes
Cannes opened Tuesday with a starry tribute to Robert De Niro, 49 years
after “Taxi Driver” won the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or. De
Niro used the platform 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 “The Gold Rush,” one of
Charlie Chaplin’s most beloved silent masterpieces, timed to the film's
100th anniversary. “Our grandfather would be really proud to see this, a
hundred years later, to see all you here and interested in seeing the
film,” said Kiera Chaplin to a packed screening Tuesday.
Tom Cruise took the spotlight on Day 2 with the latest “Mission:
Impossible” installment, “Final Reckoning.” For such a high-flying
franchise, Cruise kept his feet on the ground (so far) ahead of the
film's premiere. That kept up with a recent trend — gone are the days of
fighter jet flyovers, Jerry Seinfeld in a bee costume and other big
stunts.
On Thursday, news broke that the festival had barred French actor Théo
Navarro-Mussy from attending the premiere of the competition entry “Case
137” in what's believed to be a first for the festival in the #MeToo
era. Navarro-Mussy has been accused of rape in a case that remains on
appeal.
On Friday, Bono premiered his documentary, “Bono: Stories of Surrender."
In a wide-ranging interview, 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 “Eddington” to mixed reviews.
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Tom Cruise, left, and director Christopher McQuarrie pose for
photographers during the photo call for the film 'Mission:
Impossible – The Final Reckoning' at the 78th international film
festival, Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Photo
by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
 What to expect from the 2025
Cannes Film Festival
AP Film Writer Jake Coyle broke down some of the key things about
the festival in a thorough primer. Among the things to watch out
for: any effects of Trump's talk about tariffs on foreign-made films
at the world's largest film market. The festival serves as the start
of Oscar season and there's a packed field vying for this year's
Palme d'Or.
Outside of competition, there's some starry first-time directors:
Scarlett Johansson with “Eleanor the Great,” Kristen Stewart with
“The Chronology of Water” and Harris Dickinson with “Urchin.”
Their films are not in the main competition, but as Brazilian
director Kleber Mendonça Filho told Coyle about debuting a film at
Cannes: “You release a film into that Colosseum-like situation.” He
noted premiering a movie at the festival is akin to “a potential
invitation to a beheading.”
New red carpet rules, and how stars are responding
One of the buzziest moves by Cannes this year so far has been its
proclamation that nudity is banned by festivalgoers and so too are
“voluminous” outfits, in particular those with a large train.
The move to ban nude looks comes amid the “naked dress” trend on red
carpets, including Bianca Censori's Grammys look and many of the
outfits worn by Vanity Fair party attendees after the Oscars.
Cannes press officers said earlier this week the festival “made
explicit in its charter certain rules that have long been in
effect.”
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 were in short supply Monday, there were certainly
some “voluminous outfits,” including dresses worn by Heidi Klum,
Chinese actor Wan QianHui and others.
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