The 78th Cannes Film Festival Kicks Off in the South of France

The 78th Cannes Film Festival kicks off by honoring De Niro, premiering Partir Un Jour, and banning red carpet nudity

The annual Cannes Film Festival is currently underway along the Croisette, and the excitement is contagious. Film industry movers and shakers, as well as members of the international press, continue to arrive at the nearby Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, touching down from all corners of the globe, as the event welcomes festival-goers from over 160 countries for the 12-day event. The exceedingly long queue at Gare Maritime on the festival’s opening day, where festival badges were being distributed, was a mark of another robust and enthusiastic turnout this year. 

An 11th-hour update to the festival’s rules about dressing for the red carpet has been the talk of the media today, as Cannes put out a statement saying, “for decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as in any other area of the festival.” Additionally, “voluminous” dressing­ ­– dresses with big trains that impact the flow of pedestrian traffic and complicate seating inside the theater – is also newly banned this year. Cannes juror, actress Halle Berry, was forced to make a last-minute pivot, ditching the voluminous dress she had planned for the opening ceremony for a look less rule-flouting.

Cannes is no stranger to controversy, especially the sartorial kind. Who can forget the flats ban of 2015 when women on the red carpet were told they must wear heels? It’s interesting to see dress censorship, aimed mostly at women, all while people like director Roman Polanski have graced the festival with ease and little to no disruption or outrage.

Dressing disappointments aside, this year’s festival is a buzzed-about affair, with mega-wattage talent like Robert De Niro in attendance. During the festival’s opening ceremony on Tuesday night, De Niro was presented with an honorary award by his Killers of the Flower Moon co-star, Leonardo DiCaprio. De Niro admirably seized the opportunity to speak out against President Trump. “America’s philistine president…has cut funding supporting the arts, humanities, and education. Now, he has announced a 100% tariff on films produced outside of the U.S.,” said De Niro at the podium inside the Grand Théâtre Lumière.

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“Let that sink in for a minute,” he said solemnly. “You can’t put a price on creativity…It’s unacceptable. All these attacks are unacceptable. This isn’t just an American problem. It’s a global one.” De Niro continued and called for his community of filmmakers, actors, and creatives to raise their voices against what is unfolding in the U.S. and how it impacts the arts.

The outspoken 81-year-old actor has a decades-long history with the storied film festival, and in many ways, it’s a return home for him. De Niro is also the rare actor who has appeared in not one, but two, Palme d’Or-winning films, Taxi Driver and The Mission. De Niro was also the head of the festival’s jury in 2011, when Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life took home the top prize.

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Presiding over this year’s jury is France’s own Juliette Binoche, who is also no stranger to the festival. Binoche, a Paris native known for starring in award-winning blockbuster films like Chocolat and The English Patient, brings even more star wattage and glamour to the festival. She appeared at the opening ceremony wearing a gorgeous white dress with a hood and an asymmetrical cut, and a long dangling diamond-encrusted earring. Undoubtedly, Binoche will be serving even more chic and elegant looks along the tapis rouge throughout the festival.

Binoche was joined onstage by other members of the jury, including actors Halle Berry, Jeremy Strong, and more. The international jury reflects the global spirit of the festival, with this year’s jurors coming from India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Italy, the U.S., France, Mexico, and South Korea.

Following the ceremony, the festival’s opening film kicked off the festival. Partir Un Jour, a film by Amélie Bonnin, is a romantic comedy about a Parisian chef who finds herself back in her small hometown after her father’s third heart attack. Her father is also a chef, and he feels bitter and angry about the hurtful things Cécile (Juliette Armanet) said about her hometown – and its cooking – when she appeared on (and won) Top Chef. Amidst a love triangle, the protagonist’s feelings towards her long-term partner are complicated by the appearance of her longtime childhood friend and admirer, Raphaël. The film is a little bit of everything: a musical, a romance, a comedy, a family drama, and a pregnancy story. One wonders if the film would’ve packed more punch with a clearer, more cohesive vision, rather than trying to be a little bit of everything all at once. (As author Kurt Vonnegut said, in a quote applicable to any creative endeavor, including filmmaking: “Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.”)

While Partir Un Jour is not among this year’s “In Competition” films, there are 22 films in the overall competition at the festival, including directorial debuts by American actresses Kristen Stewart (The Chronology of Water) and Scarlett Johansson (Eleanor the Great). Both debuts are competing in the Un Certain Regard category.

A new Wes Anderson film, The Phoenician Scheme, is another hotly anticipated title. True to form, the Anderson-helmed movie is a star-stacked affair, featuring A-list actors including Tom Hanks, Bill Murray, Benicio del Toro, Willem Dafoe, Benedict Cumberbatch, and more. Fellow heavyweight auteurs Spike Lee and Richard Linklater also have new films at this year’s festival. Although not in competition, Tom Cruise’s latest Ethan Hunt vehicle, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, will also premiere at the fest.

French filmmaker Julia Ducournau, who won the Palme d’Or in 2021 for Titane, brings to this year’s festival her latest work, Alpha, which centers around a 13-year-old girl who comes home from school with a tattoo, and drama ensues.

As the festival kicks off with film stars, beloved directors, and all the glamour that Cannes promises, no doubt the dazzling festival along the French Riviera will be full of glitz, surprises, hits (plus a few misses), and memorable moments that only Cannes can deliver.