The 78th Cannes Film Festival celebrated a remarkable year for Arab, French, and African cinema, highlighting emerging talent, powerful narratives, and tributes to cinematic legends.

Algeria: New Voices and Lasting Legacies

Two Franco-Algerian artists captivated the Croisette. 23-year-old Nadia Melliti won the Best Actress award for her debut role in La Petite dernière, directed by Hafsia Herzi. Formerly a second-division football player, Melliti had never acted before. Her portrayal of Fatima, a young woman in search of herself, was praised as a revelation by critics.

Director Hafsia Herzi, herself of Algerian descent, presented her third feature film, marking her first official competition selection. Her intimate, socially resonant storytelling has earned her international recognition.

The festival also honored Mohamed Lakhdar-Hamina, the late Algerian filmmaker who passed away at 95 in Algiers. Lakhdar-Hamina remains the only Arab and African director to have won the Palme d’Or, in 1975, for Chronique des années de braise. This masterpiece, shown this year in a restored version in Cannes Classics, highlighted the suffering of the Algerian people under colonial rule.

Morocco: Spotlight on Emerging Talent

Morocco was represented by filmmaker Randa Maroufi, whose short film L’Mina screened in the Critics’ Week section and won the Leitz Cine Discovery Award. The hybrid fiction-documentary explores the dangerous lives of child laborers in the Jerada mines.

Since the official end of coal mining in 2001, many young people continue to risk their lives in abandoned galleries. Maroufi, born in Casablanca in 1987 and trained between Morocco and France, sheds light on this neglected social reality. Her work merges aesthetics with advocacy, continuing the thematic path set in Bab Sebta and Stand By Office.

Tunisia: Women’s Voices in Exile

Tunisia’s standout contribution came from Franco-Tunisian director Erige Sehiri with Promis le ciel, screened in Un Certain Regard. The film follows three women—a pastor, a student, and a displaced mother—whose paths intersect with Kenza, a four-year-old shipwreck survivor.

Through this narrative, Sehiri addresses exile, female solidarity, and mourning, set against the backdrop of migration tragedies, highlighting the growing role of Tunisian women in socially engaged cinema.

Egypt: Personal Pain Meets Social Awareness

Egypt presented two films outside the main competition.

• Aisha Can’t Fly Away by Morad Mostafa depicts the struggles of a Somali caregiver living in Cairo, navigating life on society’s margins.
• La vie après Siham by Namir Abdel Messeeh is a personal documentary exploring loss, memory, and identity, reflecting on familial roots and mourning.

Both films share a mission: giving voice to often untold stories.

Iran: A Palme d’Or for Freedom

The Palme d’Or went to Iranian director Jafar Panahi for Un simple accident, filmed clandestinely in Tehran. Following former detainees confronted by their tormentor, the film blends irony and poetry while exploring justice, forgiveness, and memory.

Panahi dedicated his screening to all Iranian artists forced into exile. Already recognized at Cannes in 2018 for Three Faces, Panahi continues to demonstrate the power of politically charged yet universally resonant cinema.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Emerging Talent Shines

While no major awards were given to Sub-Saharan filmmakers, several projects stood out:

• Nigeria: My Father’s Shadow by Akinola Davies Jr., the first Nigerian selection at Cannes, received a Special Mention from the Caméra d’Or. Set in 1990s Lagos, it follows a father and his sons amid political turmoil.
• Ethiopia: Beza Hailu Lemma won the Next Step Prize for The Last Tears of the Deceased, a mystical exploration of faith through the journey of a young Orthodox priest.
• Cameroon: Comedian and actor Thomas Ngijol presented Indomptables, portraying a police commissioner investigating a murder in Yaoundé, blending thriller and social commentary.

A Festival Marked by Engagement and Memory

The 2025 edition of Cannes showcased powerful, socially conscious storytelling from Arab, French, and African filmmakers. From Nadia Melliti’s breakthrough performance to tributes to Mohamed Lakhdar-Hamina, and from Iran’s political allegory to stories from Morocco, Tunisia, and Nigeria, a common thread emerges: cinema as a voice for humanity.

Despite some missed awards, this edition confirmed that French, Arab, and African cinema is an essential presence on the global stage, celebrating talent, honoring legends, and introducing new voices.

The 78th Cannes Film Festival ended with a celebration of Arab talent, blending recognition, homage, and emerging cinematic voices.