Scarlett Johansson and Harris Dickinson will both premiere their first feature films as directors at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, with each selected for the Un Certain Regard section. The announcement was made during a press conference in Paris by festival delegate general Thierry Frémaux and president Iris Knobloch.
Johansson’s film, Eleanor the Great, features June Squibb as a 90-year-old woman from Florida who forms an unlikely connection with a 19-year-old student in New York City. The cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jessica Hecht, and Erin Kellyman. Johansson, known for her roles in the Marvel film series, shifts focus with a character-driven narrative centered on late-life friendship and personal discovery.
Dickinson’s debut, Urchin, follows a drifter on the streets of London, played by Frank Dillane. The film explores themes of social isolation and systemic failure. In an interview published last year, Dickinson described the project as a portrait of individuals often overlooked. “It’s about the people that fall between the cracks,” he said. “It’s about mental health and about the ways in which the system fails people in certain ways.”
Dickinson has spoken about his longstanding interest in directing. “I like being in a team, but I also like having my own autonomy over things,” he said in a magazine interview. “Directing and writing gives me that. It lets me tell the stories I want to tell and dive into the worlds I want to get into.” While he continues acting—he is set to portray John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles biopic—he views filmmaking as a parallel creative track.
He cited filmmakers including Sean Baker, Justine Triet, Julia Ducournau, Rose Glass, Molly Manning Walker, and Charlotte Wells as sources of inspiration. He described the challenge of originality in contemporary cinema, while expressing interest in exploring personal and grounded narratives.
The selection of both debuts comes amid a Cannes lineup that includes films from several returning directors. Kelly Reichardt will present The Mastermind, a film set during the Vietnam War and centered on an art heist, with performances from Josh O’Connor and John Magaro. Joachim Trier returns with Sentimental Value, featuring Renate Reinsve, and Jafar Panahi will screen A Simple Accident, a drama developed under continued constraints on his work.
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Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme is part of the main competition and includes an ensemble cast with Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, and Tom Hanks. Richard Linklater brings Nouvelle Vague, starring Guillaume Marbeck and Zoey Deutch, and Ari Aster will premiere Eddington, with Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal, and Austin Butler.
