Cannes Film Festival 2025: Guests, highlights, lineup, and where to live stream in India

The 78th Cannes Film Festival is set to kick off on Tuesday, celebrating cinematic excellence with its signature blend of glamour and glitz. This year, the event will be live-streamed globally, allowing audiences around the world to experience the magic of Cannes in real time.

The opening ceremony will take place on May 13 at 10.45pm (IST) and will include the presentation of the prestigious Palme d’Or d’Honneur. Audiences can watch the live coverage of the festival on platforms such as YouTube, Mubi, FilmyDoo and the official Festival de Cannes website. 

Special highlight moments, including behind-the-scenes glimpses from the grand event and important updates regarding the festival, will be posted on the official social media handles of Cannes. 

Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia is a jury member 

Filmmaker Payal Kapadia, who won the Grand Prix last year for her film All We Imagine As Light, will be one of the jury members of this year’s event alongside Halle Berry, Alba Rohrwacher, Leïla Slimani, Dieudo Hamadi, Hong Sangsoo, Carlos Reygadas, and Jeremy Strong.

Starring Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam, Kapadia’s film also bagged the award for the Best International Feature Film at the Gotham Awards, and numerous other awards, including nominations for Golden Globe and BAFTA awards.

Robert De Niro to receive honorary Palme d'Or; Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise in spotlight 

Hollywood veteran Robert De Niro will receive an honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival's opening ceremony on May 13, 2025. Leonardo DiCaprio will be presenting the award to him.

The award will honour De Niro’s contribution to Hollywood with some of his iconic films like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The Irishman.

Meanwhile, Tom Cruise is set to return to the Cannes Film Festival with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which will be presented at the Grand Théâtre Lumière on May 14. 

Nicole Kidman, who was recently seen in the erotic thriller Babygirl, will receive the Women in Motion Award at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18, recognising her contribution to advancing women’s roles in cinema. 

Indian films to screen at the 78th Cannes Film Festival

Three Indian films — Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, Anupam Kher’s Tanvi the Great, and Satyajit Ray’s 1970 film Aranyer Din Ratri — will screen at Cannes this year. 

The film Homebound, which stars Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor, Vishal Jethwa, and Tushar Phulke, is an Indian-English drama that is backed by Martin Scorsese as an executive producer. The movie is an official selection in the Un Certain Regard section of the festival. 

In the Marché du Film (Cannes Film Market) section, Anupam Kher’s second directorial, Tanvi The Great, will have its world premiere, marking the veteran actor-filmmaker’s formal entry into global cinema.

A restored 4K version of Oscar-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s 1970 film Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest), starring Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore and Rabi Ghosh, is set to be screened at the festival.

Palestinian films based on Gaza to screen at Cannes 

Documentary Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk, based on the Palestinian war photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, will be screened at Cannes this year. 

Hassouna, who had claimed international recognition for her visceral documentation of war impacts, was killed along with her family in an Israeli strike on her home in Gaza last month, a day after Cannes announced its line-up. The film was selected in the ACID section of the film festival.

The film explores Hassouna’s life and work in Gaza under siege.

Another film, Once Upon a Time In Gaza, helmed by Palestinian twins Tarzan and Arab Nasser, will be screened at the festival in the Un Certain Regard section.

Indian celebrities to attend the festival this year

This year’s Indian celebrity attendees include Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khatter, Karan Johar, Sharmila Tagore, and Laapataa Ladies fame Nitanshi Goel. 

Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt is set to make her Cannes red carpet debut this year as the global ambassador for beauty brand L’Oreal Paris. Alia will join Cannes regular Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the festival. 

Laapataa Ladies actress Nitanshi Goel is set to make her Cannes debut this year. She will be the youngest star to debut at Cannes for the global beauty brand L'Oréal Paris.

Aishwarya drew flak from fans for “poor style choices” at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival after she shared videos of herself in Falguni Shane Peacock gowns from the red carpet of the prestigious event.

Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, along with filmmaker Wes Anderson, is set to attend the film festival for the screening of her 1970 film Aranyer Din Ratri. Additionally, Purnima Dutta, the head of Piyali Films and producer of the film and actress Simi Grewal will attend the screening.

Actors Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter are set to make their Cannes debut this year for the world premiere of Homebound in the Un Certain Regard category. Karan Johar, who is the producer of the film, is also reportedly set to join them. 

Other highlights of Cannes 2025

Several actors are set to debut as directors this year at the festival. Scarlett Johansson’s Eleanor the Great, Kristen Stewart’s The Chronology of Water, and Harris Dickinson’s Urchin will screen in the Un Certain Regard section.

The competition for the Palme d’Or also boasts an impressive roster. Acclaimed auteurs Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Ari Aster, Julia Ducournau, and Kelly Reichardt are all vying for the top prize. Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme is expected to be a major highlight. It features an ensemble cast including Benicio del Toro, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tom Hanks.

Aster’s Eddington, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal, and Austin Butler, promises a surreal cinematic spectacle. Josh O’Connor is leading two films in competition: Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind and Oliver Hermanus’ The History of Sound. Hollywood royalty Jodie Foster will present Rebecca Zlotowski’s thriller Vie Privée.

Also, the 78th Cannes Film Festival has introduced a stricter dress code, banning outfits that promote nudity at gala screenings for ‘decency’ reasons.

The 78th annual Cannes Film Festival is set to take place from May 13 to May 24.