Oscar race has already started. Over the last two weeks, several major titles premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, and it’s a safe bet to assume many of the films and performances launched on the French Riviera will play a significant part in the forthcoming awards season.

That’s one of the big questions heading into the presentation of the Palme d’Or on Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival. The past five winners in Cannes have all been released by the indie distributor, including last year’s victor and eventual best-picture Oscar winner, “Anora.”

Starring Stellan Skarsgård and Renate Reinsve, Joachim Trier's 'Sentimental Value' is a major Oscar contender to emerge from Cannes 2025.

Joachim Trier's new film Sentimental Value, starring Elle Fanning, drew rave reactions at the Cannes Film Festival.

Joachim Trier Summer got off to a rousing start on Wednesday with the world premiere of Sentimental Value, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker's follow-up to The Worst Person in the World. The competition title received an absurd 19-minute standing ovation after its premiere,

Starring Renate Reinsve — reuniting with Trier after the hit “The Worst Person in the World” — Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Fanning, it premiered to rave reviews. But unlike some other Palme d’Or contenders, it touched the audience as well.