Denzel Washington got his second Cannes prize on short notice. Festival organizers handed him an Honorary Palme d’Or just before the world premiere of Highest 2 Lowest, at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, which ran from 13 to 24 May 2025.
He was the second to receive one that year. Robert De Niro had been given the first during the opening ceremony.
A prize for a filmmaker under pressure
Juliette Binoche, the French actress, presided over the main competition jury. The Palme d’Or, the festival’s top prize, went to Iranian director Jafar Panahi for the thriller It Was Just an Accident. Panahi has been arrested, banned from filmmaking and imprisoned by Iranian authorities, according to the original report on the festival.
The other main awards went to Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value (Grand Prix) and Kleber Mendonça Filho, who won Best Director for The Secret Agent. Wagner Moura took Best Actor for the same film, and Nadia Melliti won Best Actress for The Little Sister. Apart from the German-produced Sound of Falling, every main competition award went to a French-produced or co-produced picture.
The poster, the host, the opening film
Hartland Villa designed the official poster. It showed Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant in Claude Lelouch’s A Man and a Woman (1966), which won the Palme d’Or at the 19th Cannes festival. French actor Laurent Lafitte hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. The festival opened with Leave One Day, a French comedy by Amélie Bonnin.
Gaza and a documentary
On 16 April 2025, one day after the ACID selection was announced, Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna was killed in an Israeli airstrike on her family’s home in Gaza City. Ten members of her family died with her. Hassouna was one of the main subjects of Sepideh Farsi’s documentary Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk.
The festival issued a statement offering condolences and criticizing the war and violence in Gaza. On opening day, more than 350 directors, actors and producers signed a letter condemning her killing. Among them were Jonathan Glazer, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Pedro Almodóvar, David Cronenberg and Ruben Östlund. “We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza,” the letter said.
On the last day, 24 May, a power outage caused by arson disrupted the morning screenings.
Sources
- 2025 Cannes Film Festival – Wikipedia
- 'This is beyond the Oscar': John Travolta wins surprise Cannes honorary Palme d'Or
