After 12 electrifying days filled with red carpets, cinematic revelations, and global storytelling at its finest, the 2025 Cannes Film Festival came to a close Saturday evening with a powerful message and a history-making Palme d’Or win.

Presiding jury president and French screen legend Juliette Binoche took the stage alongside Cate Blanchett to deliver this year’s top honor: the Palme d’Or. The recipient? None other than Iranian master filmmaker and political dissident Jafar Panahi, who returned to Cannes for the first time in over two decades following the end of a 15-year travel ban imposed by his home country.

Panahi’s film Un Simple Accident (It Was a Simple Accident) not only marked his long-awaited return to the Croisette but stood as a bold statement of artistic and political defiance. Accepting the prize with poise and fire, the 64-year-old auteur declared:

“What’s most important now is our country and the freedom of our country. Let us join forces. No one should dare tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, what we should do, or what we should not do.” The moment was one of the most emotional and charged in recent festival memory, underlining the core power of cinema as resistance and reflection.

Grand Prix and Jury Prize Go Global

Taking home the Grand Prix, often regarded as Cannes’ silver medal, was Joachim Trier's Affeksjonsverdi (Sentimental Value) — a meditative, intergenerational family drama starring Elle Fanning, Stellan Skarsgård, and Renate Reinsve. The Norwegian filmmaker, beloved for 2022’s The Worst Person in the World, once again confirmed his place among Europe’s most sensitive storytellers.

The Jury Prize, reserved for daring and often unconventional visions, was split between two powerful works: Sirât, a spiritual odyssey through the desert by Galician director Oliver Laxe, and the genre-defying, time-leaping Sound of Falling by German newcomer Mascha Schilinski.

Brazil in the Spotlight: The Secret Agent Sweeps Two Major Awards

In a thrilling turn for Latin American cinema, Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (best known to global audiences as Pablo Escobar in Narcos) won Best Actor for his gripping performance in O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent). The political thriller, set against the chaos of Carnival in Recife, also earned Kleber Mendonça Filho the Best Director prize — a triumph for the director of Aquarius and Bacurau.

More Big Wins from Across the Map

-Best Actress went to Tunisia’s Nadia Melliti for La Petite Dernière (The Little Sister), directed by Hafsia Herzi.

-Belgian legends Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne took home Best Screenplay for Jeunes Mères (Young Mothers), continuing their long-standing love affair with Cannes.

-Chinese filmmaker Bi Gan received a Special Award for his ambitious and poetic new feature, Kuang Ye Shi Dai (Resurrection).

Un Certain Regard Celebrates First-Time Filmmakers

The sidebar’s top honor, the Un Certain Regard Prize, was awarded to La Misteriosa Mirada Del Flamenco (The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo) by Chilean debut director Diego Céspedes. Other standouts included:

-Jury Prize: Un Poeta (A Poet) by Simón Mesa Soto

-Best Directing: Arab & Tarzan Nasser for Once Upon a Time in Gaza

-Best Actor: Frank Dillane in Urchin (dir. Harris Dickinson)

-Best Actress: Cleo Diára in O Riso E A Faca (dir. Pedro Pinho)

-Best Screenplay: Pillion by British newcomer Harry Lighton

Short Films, Emerging Talent, and Technical Excellence

-Short Film Palme d'Or: I’m Glad You’re Dead Now by Tawfeek Barhom

-Caméra d'Or for best debut feature: The President’s Cake by Hasan Hadi (Directors’ Fortnight)

-La Cinef First Prize: First Summer by South Korea’s Heo Gayoung

And in the technical realm, cinematographer Ruben Impens and mixer Stéphane Thiébaut were honored for their work on Alpha (dir. Julia Ducournau), while Éponine Momenceau was recognized as Best Young Female Film Technician for her lensing on Connemara.

Cannes 2025 reminded us of cinema’s boundless ability to speak truth, spark conversation, and cross borders. From Panahi’s fearless return to the poetic visions of new voices from Gaza to Chile, this year’s edition was a masterclass in resilience, imagination, and revolution through storytelling.