by InTrieste
Video from the 16 of May red carpet featuring the cast of ‘Eddington’, Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone, as well as Angelina Jolie, in Cannes as the godmother of the prestigious Trophée Chopard.
The 77th Cannes Film Festival concluded Saturday with a dramatic and politically charged moment: Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was awarded the Palme d’Or for It Was Just an Accident, a film shot in secret under the constraints of government censorship.
Panahi, a longtime Cannes favorite and outspoken critic of Iran’s regime, received a standing ovation as he appeared in person to accept the festival’s top prize — a rare public appearance for a director who, until recently, had been banned from traveling abroad.
The film, which follows a garage owner who abducts a man he believes once tortured him in prison, explores themes of guilt, revenge and moral reckoning. It has been lauded for its spare, naturalistic style and quiet political intensity. The project was made without government approval and filmed covertly inside Iran, continuing Panahi’s long tradition of circumventing restrictions to produce his work.
“This film is a testimony to the power of cinema in the face of repression,” said jury president Greta Gerwig during the awards ceremony. “Its quiet courage moved us all.”
The award capped a festival widely regarded as one of the strongest in recent memory, with a competition lineup that included high-profile entries from established auteurs and exciting new voices from across the globe. Below, a look at twelve films that shaped this year’s conversation:
Die, My Love
Lynne Ramsay returns with a harrowing adaptation of Ariana Harwicz’s novel, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson as a couple unraveling in rural France. Mubi acquired the film for $24 million.
Sound of Falling
Mascha Schilinski’s time-jumping German drama, set entirely in a farmhouse across four eras, emerged as a critical favorite. Its meditative look at generational trauma earned it the Jury Prize.
Pillion
This British debut by Alex Ajao, which follows a BDSM relationship between a biker (Alexander Skarsgård) and a car park attendant (Harry Melling), stirred debate with its intimate and often uncomfortable portrayal of power and desire.
Eddington
Ari Aster’s surreal, pandemic-era satire features Joaquin Phoenix as a small-town sheriff unraveling amid 2020’s turmoil. Co-starring Emma Stone and Pedro Pascal, the film divided audiences but proved unforgettable.
The Secret Agent
Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho earned Best Director for this gripping thriller set in 1970s Recife, where a dissident flees the secret police. Wagner Moura stars in what many saw as the year’s most politically urgent film.
Sentimental Value
Joachim Trier’s bittersweet drama about a famous actress reconnecting with her estranged father won the Grand Prix. Shot in Oslo and reuniting Trier with Renate Reinsve, it confirmed his status as one of Europe’s most introspective storytellers.
Sirat
Spanish director Oliver Laxe shared the Jury Prize for this meditative journey across the Moroccan desert, in which two brothers deliver their father’s body to his homeland. The film was praised for its spiritual depth and stark visual beauty.
Other festival highlights included new work by Andrea Arnold, Hong Sang-soo, and first-time filmmakers from India, Chile and South Korea, all contributing to what many critics hailed as a “golden year” for the festival.
But it was Panahi’s win that ultimately defined the closing night — a reminder of cinema’s enduring role as both mirror and megaphone in turbulent times.
