Jennifer Lawrence, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Tom Cruise, and Denzel Washington have all walked the red carpet at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and they’re just a few of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars to have hit the Croisette this year for their latest films. In 2025, though, the real stars may be all the first-time directors who have debuted feature-length films in various strands of the festival.

Cannes has always premiered debut features from some of the most exciting up-and-coming directors – they even have the Director’s Fortnight sidebar which, though not exclusively for first-time filmmakers, often features them thanks to its focus on specific visions from exciting directors.

This year, though, a few big names have debuted their first directorial efforts alongside a slew of others that have been received warmly by those at the festival. It’s a testament to Cannes’ power and reach that they put these kinds of films on display, giving directors the chance of a lifetime to show off their pᴀssion projects.

Harris Dickinson, Scarlett Johansson & Kristen Stewart All Debuted Their First Features

They Are Joined By A Group Of Exciting Newcomers

Three of the most talked-about premieres at this year’s Cannes Film Festival have all been in the Un Certain Regard section, hyped ahead of time because of the stars behind the camera and then (mostly) praised afterward for the distinctive visions from already well-known directors.

Kristen Stewart debuted her long-gestating adaptation of Lidia Yunkavitch’s memoir The Chronology of Water, earning raves in the process. Introduced by Cannes festival head Thierry Frémaux, Stewart was visibly emotional as she introduced the film, emotionally thanking her cast and crew before saying, “Now let’s rip off the band-aid and watch this ҒUCҜing movie.” Ripping that band-aid off proved less painful than Stewart might have imagined, with responses to The Chronology of Water being mostly glowing.

She told the New York Times that she is surprised “everyone is being so nice” and that she would like people to “come for [her] just a little bit.” There’s really no reason to, though. In ScreenRant’s own review of The Chronology of Water, Patrice Witherspoon wrote, “This is art at its finest. If Kristen Stewart decides to permanently remain behind the camera, the art of filmmaking is in good hands.”

Harris Dickinson, on the other hand, is still in the rising star phase of his career, beloved as one of the internet’s many boyfriends, but still waiting for a major breakthrough. That seems to be in the works, as he’s set to star as John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ four Beatles biopics that will release in 2028, but that’s only if his work as a director doesn’t push him forward first.

Returning to Cannes after starring in Palme d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness, Dickinson debuted Urchin in the Un Certain Regard section. A melancholic look at one man’s life living on the streets of London, the film is equal parts devastating and illuminating, with a central performance from Frank Dillane that is meteoric in its subtle power.

Dickinson’s film also contains many surprising flourishes of experimentation and, though they don’t always work the way they should, it’s that willingness to take risks that makes him standout as a promising director. It’s unclear whether he’ll even have time to direct another movie while filming the Beatles biopics, but here’s hoping he does.

Last of the big stars (but certainly not least) is Scarlett Johansson, whose debut Eleanor the Great premiered, also in the Un Certain Regard section. That film follows June Squibb’s тιтle character, a Florida retiree who moves back to New York City after the death of her best friend and gets involved in a Holocaust survivor support group.

On the ground, Eleanor the Great seemed to be one of the H๏τtest screenings of the festival. At least 100 people with tickets are rumored to have been turned away at the door where, in the Debussy Theatre, Johansson attended the premiere mere days after hosting Saturday Night Live. Her husband, Colin Jost, was also in attendance, as was Adrien Brody. The film received a 6-minute standing ovation and, though critical response has been a bit more muted, the film is notable for continuing Squibb’s recent H๏τ streak and Johansson likely has a long and exciting directing career in front of her.

Even With Stewart, Dickinson & Johansson, Other First-Time Directors Also Shined

The Un Certain Regard section at Cannes includes several debut directorial features, most of which have earned relatively positive reviews so far. One of the standouts has been Pillion, the scorching-H๏τ biker BDSM movie starring Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling. The film is directed by Harry Lighton and based on the novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones.

Currently boasting a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score with 15 reviews, Pillion seems both ripe for discourse and GIF-making, with many sure to focus on the H๏τ-and-heavy scenes between Melling and Skarsgård. In ScreenRant‘s review of Pillion, I wrote that it is “a startlingly confident, overwhelmingly Sєxy debut” for Lighton.

Two other films also made an impact upon their debuts – The Plague (by director Charlie Polinger) and Valery Carnoy’s Wild Foxes (the latter of which actually debuted in the Director’s Fortnight sidebar) follow boys enmeshed in the world of sports and the ways in which compeтιтion and athletics warp the ways they treat each other. Both are visceral and intense, partly psychological thrillers and partly coming-of-age films that leave their marks in startling ways.

Some of the other directorial debuts to premiere include The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (Diego Céspedes), My Father’s Shadow (Akinola Davies), Aisha Can’t Fly Away (Morad Mostafa), with one more, Karavan (Zuzana Kirchnerová) set to premiere later this week. All that have been screened so far have been applauded by many who have seen them, which stands in contrast to some of the more muted receptions a lot of the Compeтιтion тιтles have received.

Even while not all the films mentioned here have received universal acclaim, one thing can’t be denied – each directorial feature debut that has played so far has had a unique vision behind it. In an era where that can be so easily lost thanks to studio tampering or a promising director getting swooped up into the franchise machine, having a strong directorial vision can be both a blessing and a curse, but for these films coming out of Cannes, right now, it’s certainly the former.

It’s easy to get lost in the glitz and glamour of this festival, where major films like Highest 2 Lowest and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning can premiere, but these films have served as a reminder that Cannes and festivals in general are just as important in introducing audiences to new artists as they are in platforming major releases.

Check out all of our Cannes Film Festival coverage.