Power outages might have shrouded the French Riviera in literal darkness on the ultimate day of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, however the Palais nonetheless managed to ship an electrical finale. Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi took house the Palme d’Or for his absurdist drama, It Was Just an Accident, marking each a private and political victory for its maker, but in addition for U.S. distributor Neon, now six-for-six in Cannes’ prime prize.
The win indicators a highly effective comeback for Panahi, who was underneath a 20-year filmmaking ban till the Iranian authorities lastly relented. It Was Just an Accident is his first movie made with authorized sanction in over a decade. In it, Panahi explores themes of justice and trauma by 5 former prisoners who consider they’ve discovered the prosecutor who as soon as tortured them, which are knowledgeable by actual conversations Panahi had throughout his personal imprisonment.
“This Palme d’Or is not just for me,” Panahi stated in a assertion, “but for every artist who dares to speak truth to power… The most important thing is our country and the freedom of our country. Let’s arrive at this moment, together, when no one dares to say what we should wear, what we should or shouldn’t do.”
Neon’s acquisition of the movie halfway by the competition now makes it the distributor of six consecutive Palme winners — Parasite, Titane, Triangle of Sadness, Anatomy of a Fall, Anora, and now It Was Just an Accident. The feat has elevated the indie outfit to near-mythic standing on the Croisette and positions the movie as an instant Oscar contender, significantly within the worldwide function and director classes.
But Panahi wasn’t the one filmmaker to depart Cannes with momentum. Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value took house the Grand Prix, successfully the runner-up prize. A household drama about a filmmaker father reconciling along with his estranged actress daughter by casting her in his most private movie but, Trier described his work as “an alternative language of unification” in a transferring acceptance speech.
Trier, whose The Worst Person within the World beforehand made Oscar noise in 2022, might very effectively discover himself again within the awards dialog — and this time with a shot at Best Picture, particularly given Neon’s backing and the Academy’s rising openness to worldwide narratives.
The Jury Prize was break up between two of the competitors’s most audacious entries: Olivier Laxe’s Sirat, a soul-searching street film, and Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling, an bold century-spanning movie that drew reward from critics. The shared win probably represents this yr’s jury’s appreciation for formal experimentation, one thing that won’t translate on to the Oscars, although each movies might very effectively sneak into classes like worldwide function or screenplay.
Best Director went to Kleber Mendonça Filho for The Secret Agent, a political thriller set throughout Brazil’s navy dictatorship. Its lead, Wagner Moura, additionally nabbed the Best Actor prize for his function as a father on the run. Given the Academy’s latest embrace of worldwide political dramas together with I’m Still Here, The Zone of Interest and All Quiet on the Western Front; The Secret Agent might mount a marketing campaign throughout a number of classes, significantly if Brazil selects it as its official Oscar entry, recent of its win from final yr.
In a breakout efficiency, Nadia Melliti gained Best Actress for Little Sister, a coming-of-age drama that additionally took house the Queer Palm. Directed by Hafsia Herzi, the movie’s twin wins might mirror the trail of Emilia Pérez, which debuted at Cannes final yr earlier than making waves (and controversy) throughout awards season.
The screenplay prize went to stalwarts Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne for Young Mothers, an exploration of teenage being pregnant. While the Dardennes are Cannes royalty, the screenplay award can typically be a bellwether for Oscar nominations, significantly within the unique screenplay class.
Other notable awards included the Prix Spécial for Bi Gan’s sci-fi epic, Resurrection and the Camera d’Or for Hasan Hadi’s The President’s Cake, a landmark win as the primary Iraqi movie ever awarded at Cannes. Hadi’s function about an unassuming baker instantly elected president throughout wartime, has already drawn distributor curiosity and may very well be a darkish horse within the worldwide race if Iraq submits it.
Of the 21 movies in competitors, a number of notable names went house empty-handed — amongst them Wes Anderson (The Phoenician Scheme), Julia Ducournau (Alpha), and Ari Aster (Eddington). But Neon’s different picks fared higher: past It Was Just an Accident, the corporate additionally backed Sentimental Value, Sirat, and The Secret Agent — all of which earned main awards, solidifying its astonishing domination at Cannes.
The Academy itself continues to deepen its relationship with the competition. Its non-public networking mixer throughout Cannes has grow to be an unstated marketing campaign launchpad. With the final three Palme d’Or winners — Triangle of Sadness, Anatomy of a Fall, and Anora — all turning into Best Picture nominees, Cannes is clearly again within the Oscar dialog as a main precursor.
If historical past is any indicator, It Was Just an Accident might very effectively be a frontrunner within the 2026 awards race. And with Neon steering the ship, it wouldn’t be stunning if it’s one other Palme-to-Oscar trajectory.
Full List of 2024 Cannes Winners:
Palme d’Or: It Was Just an Accident, Jafar Panahi
Grand Prix: Sentimental Value, Joachim Trier
Best Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho, The Secret Agent
Best Actor: Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Best Actress: Nadia Melliti, Little Sister
Jury Prize (Tie): Sirat, Olivier Laxe and Sound of Falling, Mascha Schilinski
Prix Spécial: Resurrection, Bi Gan
Best Screenplay: Young Mothers, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
Camera d’Or: The President’s Cake, Hasan Hadi
Camera d’Or Special Mention: My Father’s Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr.
Queer Palm: Little Sister, Hafsia Herzi
Palme Dog: Panda, The Love That Remains
Published – May 25, 2025 12:05 am IST
