Cannes 2025: Between politics, nostalgia and a breathing Hollywood
The 79th Cannes Film Festival has started, and as always, it’s not just cinema. It is a mirror of everything that is happening to us. Politics, artificial intelligence, and a Hollywood that seems to be taking a break. Or perhaps, a timeout.
Peter Jackson, the king of Middle-earth, received an honorary Palme d’Or. And it couldn’t be any other way: Elijah Wood, the Frodo who made us believe in friendship and rings, was in charge of presenting it. It was one of those moments that catches you off guard and reminds you why we love cinema.
But it wasn’t all nostalgia. The jury, chaired by South Korean genius Park Chan-wook, pulled no punches. Ken Loach screenwriter Paul Laverty pointed to this year’s poster—that iconic image from Thelma & Louise—and dropped a bombshell: “Isn’t it fascinating to see Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo banned for opposing the murder of women and children in Gaza? Shame on Hollywood.” Straight to the heart of the debate.
And meanwhile, artificial intelligence sneaks into all conversations. How will it affect creation? Will it be a tool or a threat? Cannes becomes the perfect setting to ask ourselves that, between red carpets and flashes.
Oscar contenders? This year, Cannes is the prelude. Pedro Almodóvar, James Gray, Ryusuke Hamaguchi… names that sound like awards. And in the next two weeks, we’ll see Kristen Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Adam Driver, Cate Blanchett… a list that reads like a casting list for a Nolan movie.
The curious thing: what is not in Cannes also matters. Hollywood, to a large extent, is conspicuous by its absence. Fatigue? Strategy? Maybe they just needed a break. Meanwhile, Jane Fonda and Gong Li opened the festival with the elegance of those who know that cinema, in the end, always finds a way to tell what matters.
And we, from home, watching everything from the couch. But hey, at least we have popcorn.




