78th Film Festival in Cannes
The curtains have closed on the 78th Cannes Film Festival, concluding ten days of cinematic revelation, political resonance, and artistic triumph, and I was happy to be present at this grandiose event.
This year’s Palme d’Or was awarded to Just a Simple Accident, the latest work by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi. Announced by jury president Juliette Binoche, the decision crowned a film that speaks volumes through silence and human fragility.
With this win, Panahi enters the rarest of circles, becoming only the fourth director in history to hold top prizes from Cannes, Venice, and Berlin. A triumph not only of artistic persistence but of creative resistance.
Yet Cannes 2025 will be remembered for more than its red carpet or laurels. It resonated with the political tensions of the world, particularly the war in Ukraine. Ukraine’s presence, though not in competition, was nonetheless powerfully felt.
U2’s Bono made a surprise appearance in solidarity with Ukrainian defenders, performing in a special screening event that honoured those on the frontlines of freedom. Actress and activist Angelina Jolie, while presenting a humanitarian award, paid tribute to the late Ukrainian writer and cultural advocate Victoria Amelina – a voice silenced by violence, yet amplified through remembrance.
The 2025 Cannes Film Festival opened with a special screening program titled “Ukraine Day”, with three movies included in the programme: “Zelenskyy” (2025), directed by Yves Jeuland, Lise Vapné, and Ariane Chemin, “Notre Guerre” (“Our War”, 2025), documentary by French philosopher and writer Bernard-Henri Lévy and photographer Marc Roussel, and “20,000 Meters to Andriivka” (2025), directed by Ukrainian journalist and Oscar winner Mstyslav Chernov.
The only Ukrainian feature film at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, "Militantropos" revealed the truth about the frontline of Ukrainian reality. The world premiere of the Ukrainian documentary Militarist took place in the Cannes Film Festival's Directors' Fortnight parallel programme.
This year's Cannes was not just about cinema. It was about borders - artistic, political, and ethical - and what it means to cross them.