9 most exciting movies heading straight to the Oscars after the Cannes Film Festival 2025

Cast: Imogen Poots, Thora Birch, Kristen Stewart (also directing)

Twilight star Kristen's directorial debut is based on a memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch, and follows a young woman "seemed destined for self-destruction" during a journey of self-discovery as she uses swimming and writing to find out more about her sexuality and to confront her addiction.

Cast: Harris Dickinson (also writing and directing), Frank Dillane, Amr Waked

Directed by Babygirl star Harris Dickinson, the story follows a rough sleeper in London, Mike, who is trapped in a "cycle of self-destruction" as he attempts to turn his life around.

Cast: Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera

Is it really a film festival without Wes Anderson? The story follows Benicio as Anatole “Zsa-zsa” Korda, an enigmatic industrialist who survives another attempt on his life after his business practices have made him an enemy to not just rival enterprises but also governments of every ideology across the globe. With enemies around every corner, he determines his successor: his estranged daughter, who is living as a nun.

Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Angela Bassett

The eighth installment in the Mission: Impossible series once again takes Ethan Hunt and his team on a dangerous adventure (with even more dangerous stunts for poor Tom) as they must stop a terrifying bioweapon from falling into the wrong hands.

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes

With a starry cast, neighbour against neighbour is pitted against one another following a stand-off between the sheriff and the mayor in the town of Eddington, New Mexico.

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson, LaKeith Stanfield

We're excited for this one! This psychological thriller is an adaptation of the novel by Ariana Harwicz, and follows a new mother in France who struggles with postpartum depression and psychosis, pushing her to the brink of insanity as her marriage falls apart.

Cast: Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, A$AP Rocky

The synopsis for this Spike Lee-directed movie reads: "When a titan music mogul widely known as having the 'best ears in the business', is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma."

Cast: Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans

Margaret Qualley may as well buy a place in Cannes, she is there so often - and we can't wait for this latest offering! The story follows Honey O’Donahue, a small-town private investigator, who delves into a series of strange deaths tied to a mysterious church.

Cast: Paul Mescal, Josh O'Connor, Chris Cooper

Gladiator II star Paul plays Lionel, a talented singer who attends the Boston Music Conservatory where he meets David, a charming music composing student who is soon drafted into the end of the war. The synopsis continues: "In 1920, the two spend a winter walking through the forests and islands of Maine, collecting folk songs in order to preserve them for future generations. 

"Lionel drifts through Europe in his twenties and thirties, building a new life of profound success and happiness, and experiencing new loves. Yet he is constantly drawn back to memories of his brief time with David, trying to understand the impact of their relationship."