Molly Manning Walker will serve as jury president for the Un Certain Regard section at the 78th Festival de Cannes, running from May 13 to May 24, 2025. The British filmmaker received the top prize in this section in 2023 for her debut feature, How to Have Sex.
Walker expressed enthusiasm about returning to the festival in this capacity. “It’s such an honour to return to Cannes as the President of the Un Certain Regard Jury,” she said in a statement. “This selection will forever hold a special place in my heart. Being a part of it really changed my world. I can’t wait to discover the films at the epicentre of new cinema. Right now more than ever I feel that cinema is so key to bringing us together and allowing us to feel, to connect with each other. To escape, wonder and learn about each other.”
Joining Walker on the jury are French-Swiss writer-director Louise Courvoisier, whose Holy Cow received a Youth Award in the same section last year; Italian director and screenwriter Roberto Minervini, recognized in 2024 for The Damned; Vanja Kaludjercic, director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam; and Argentine actor Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, known for 120 BPM (Beats per Minute).
The Un Certain Regard section focuses on new filmmakers and formally distinctive work. This year’s selection includes 20 films, several of them debut features. Scarlett Johansson’s Eleanor the Great, starring June Squibb, marks her first time directing. Kristen Stewart presents The Chronology of Water, and Harris Dickinson directs Urchin. Other titles include Akinola Davies’ My Father’s Shadow, featuring Sope Dìrísù, and Aisha Can’t Fly Away by Morad Mostafa. Palestinian filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser return with Once Upon a Time in Gaza.
The section will open May 14 with Promised Sky by Tunisian director Erige Sehiri. Last year’s winner in this category was Black Dog, directed by Guan Hu.
Juliette Binoche is presiding over the jury for the main competition.