The Cannes Film Festival 2025 came to an unforgettable end when the winners were announced after a surprising blackout shook the closing ceremony.
A quick power outage, likely caused on purpose, paused the closing ceremony for a moment. But the festival bounced back fast and still managed to celebrate the best movies of the year.
French actor Laurent Lafitte took the stage to host the closing ceremony, while Jury President Juliette Binoche and Cate Blanchett handed out the prestigious Palme d’Or awards.
Jafar Panahi, a famous Iranian director, took home the festival’s biggest award for It Was Just an Accident.
The intense story, inspired by his own time in prison, shows a group of ex-prisoners seeking justice against the person who hurt them.
On stage, Panahi said the most important thing to him is the future of his country.
He shared, “Let us join forces. No-one should tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, or what we should or shouldn’t do.”
Here are the list of the winners.
Cannes Film Festival 2025 Winners:
Palme d’Or – Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident
Grand Prix – Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Best Actress – Nadia Melliti, La Petite Dernière
Best Director – Kleber Mendonça Filho, The Secret Agent
Jury Prize – Tie: Oliver Laxe, Sirat dir. Mascha Schilinski, The Sound of Falling
Best Screenplay – Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Young Mothers
Best Actor – Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Special Prize – Bi Gan, Resurrection
Camera d’Or – Hassan Hadi, The President’s Cake
Special Mention, Camera d’Or – Akinola Davies Jr, My Father’s Shadow
Short Film Palme d’Or – Tawfeek Barhom, I’m Glad You’re Dead Now
Special Mention, Short Film – Adnan AI Rajeev, Ali
