Credits: Meurisse Press Agency. Photographic Agency — public domain.
On the Deauville Boardwalk, from September 5 to 14, 2025, the American festival will take place. This festival, mixing impromptu seawater dips and independent cinema, will spark keen curiosity. A jury led by Golshifteh Farahani (photocall in the English Channel), tributes to Pamela Anderson and Kim Novak, tight competitions and anticipated previews: between accessible glamour and timely debates, what can this edition reveal about Hollywood’s fractures and desires? Program of the Deauville Festival 2025, stakes and faces.
A Meeting Born In 1975, France’s Showcase For American Cinema
Born in 1975 on the Côte Fleurie, the Deauville American Film Festival established itself. Indeed, it became the entry point for independent cinema from across the Atlantic. Initially non-competitive, it added, from 1995, a competition that each year reveals new voices. Nearly 100 films are screened over ten days at the Deauville International Centre (CID), between premieres, tributes and documentaries. The mission has not changed: to take the pulse of America through its images, and offer it to the French public.
The Moments That Made History
Fifty editions have shaped a collective memory. People remember the return of Johnny Depp who came to present City of Lies (2021) after the legal turmoil. Also notable was the arrival of Ana de Armas for Blonde (2022). The 2024 anniversary was marked by an open awards list and the festival’s change in leadership. Over time, Deauville has honored legends (Clint Eastwood, Gena Rowlands, Oliver Stone) and supported the new American generation.
Program Of The Deauville Festival 2025
The 51st edition runs from September 5 to 14, 2025. Thirteen films compete for the Grand Prize, in a selection that examines American youth and its tensions: parentage, coming of age, economy, environment and politics. The competition features notably The Chronology of Water by Kristen Stewart (first feature), Eleanor the Great by Scarlett Johansson (first film), I Live Here Now by Julie Pacino, Olmo by Fernando Eimbcke, The End by Joshua Oppenheimer, Rebuilding by Max Walker-Silverman, *Lurker by **Alex Russell, Omaha by Cole Webley, Sovereign by Christian Swegal, The New West by Kate Beecroft, *In Transit by **Jaclyn Bethany, *After This Death by **Lucio Castro, and *The Chronology of Water mentioned above whose adaptation of **Lidia Yuknavitch’s autobiographical account is an event.
Beyond the competition, the edition highlights documentaries under the banner American Doc Stories (Holding Liat by Brandon Kramer, Viktor by Olivier Sarbil, Lowland Kids by Sandra Winther…), a focus dedicated to Gregg Araki, as well as anticipated previews like The Mastermind by Kelly Reichardt (a 1970s heist film, with Josh O’Connor and Alana Haim). The awards will be handed out on Sunday, September 14 (Revelation, Grand Prize, Audience Award), with an awards reprise in Paris at Grand Action on September 21.
An Eclectic Jury… That Ends Up In The Water
Chaired by Golshifteh Farahani, musician and actor, the 2025 jury brings together complementary profiles: Thomas Cailley (director of Les Combattants, Le Règne animal), Eye Haïdara (revealed by Le Sens de la fête), Katell Quillévéré (Un poison violent, Réparer les vivants), Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (Emily in Paris), Vincent Macaigne (actor and director), Benjamin Millepied (choreographer, Black Swan), and Émilie Tronche (creator of the animated series Samuel). On Monday, September 8, 2025, the traditional photocall on the Boardwalk turned into a swim: energized by Vincent Macaigne, the jury ended in the English Channel, a playful image of a festival that knows how to keep a playful spirit.
Who’s Coming To The Deauville Festival 2025?
Pamela Anderson (Deauville Talent Award). Pop icon revealed by Baywatch, the 58-year-old actress faces a turning point with The Last Showgirl (Gia Coppola). At Deauville, she receives a Deauville Talent Award and inaugurates a booth named after her on the Boardwalk. She also claims a freer trajectory. She announces projects with Michael Cera (moving behind the camera), Sally Potter and Karim Aïnouz. Her career, long captured by tabloids, is now read through the lens of author-driven cinema. Indeed, she asserts sincerity there.
Kim Novak (Icon Award, guest of honor). Legend of Vertigo, Picnic or Pal Joey, the 92-year-old actress is honored at Deauville a few days after receiving a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement in Venice. The Normandy ceremony is accompanied by the screening of the documentary Kim Novak’s Vertigo (Alexandre O. Philippe). Long retired from Hollywood, she pursues a body of work as a painter; Deauville celebrates her as a free pioneer.
Kristen Stewart (carte blanche and competition). World-famous for Twilight, respected for Personal Shopper and Spencer, she presents in competition her first feature, The Chronology of Water, and offers a carte blanche titled ‘My French Cinema’, an occasion to discuss her French influences.
Joel Edgerton (Deauville Talent Award). Australian actor-director seen in Warrior, The Gift, Loving, Boy Erased, he receives a Deauville Talent Award. The evening includes the preview of Train Dreams (Clint Bentley), in which he stars alongside Felicity Jones and Kerry Condon.
Shih-Ching Tsou and Nina Ye. The Taiwanese director, former collaborator of Sean Baker (Take Out), presents in preview Left-Handed Girl, a family drama co-written, produced and edited by Baker. She is accompanied in Deauville by actress Nina Ye.
Julie Pacino. Daughter of Al Pacino, she comes to defend I Live Here Now, an intimate horror film that questions the desire for a child and the echoes of the past.
Fernando Eimbcke. Figure of Mexican cinema (Lake Tahoe), he competes with Olmo.
Gregg Araki. The festival dedicates a focus to the cult filmmaker of the 1990s (The Doom Generation).
Kelly Reichardt. Author of First Cow and Wendy and Lucy, she presents The Mastermind, a stripped-down take on the heist film.
In the documentary section, attendees will find Raoul Peck (Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5), Brandon Kramer (Holding Liat), Olivier Sarbil (Viktor), Sandra Winther (Lowland Kids). Each brings a perspective on politics, memory and the climate.
The Deauville Spirit: Between Glamour And Public Access
Deauville’s charm lies in this very French mix: boardwalk, beach booths and evening gowns, but theaters open to spectators with Passes and tickets. The 2025 edition recalled it with a moment of gentle madness: the jury, soaked but laughing, reminded that cinema is also a popular celebration. The public can vote for the City of Deauville Prize and attend meetings with the teams. The DNA remains: no red carpet cut off from the world, but shared films.
Anderson And Novak: Two Stories Of Emancipation
The joint presence of Pamela Anderson and Kim Novak tells two paths of liberation. The first, a shaken media icon, reinvents her career through choices of independence and against-type roles. The second, a great actress of the studio era, left Hollywood for a life as an artist outside the system. However, she has not denied her legacy. Deauville brings them together in the same gesture: celebrating women who take back control of their image and their art.
What To Expect From The Awards
The themes dominating identity, memory, social fractures – suggest an awards list sensitive to intimate narratives and bold formal writings. The Chronology of Water could win over viewers with its autobiographical surge and work on the body. Eleanor the Great bears the signature of an actress, Scarlett Johansson, stepping behind the camera with an older heroine, rare in a leading role. The Mastermind confirms the festival’s taste for minimalist reinterpretations of genres. On the documentaries side, contemporary geopolitics – Israel/Palestine, Ukraine, climate – will likely resonate in jury and public debates.
Dates And Practical Info For The Deauville Festival 2025
- Awards: Sunday, September 14, 2025, late afternoon, at the CID (Deauville).
- Paris reprise: Sunday, September 21, 2025, at Grand Action (Paris 5th).
- Public vote: City of Deauville Prize open during competition screenings.
- Venues: CID, Casino Barrière, Morny Cinema.
- Editorial line: priority to American independent cinema, focus Gregg Araki and committed documentary sections.
- Figures honored: Kim Novak (tribute) and Pamela Anderson (Deauville Talent Award).
- The next generation: Kristen Stewart, Julie Pacino in competition, Shih-Ching Tsou in preview.
- Atmosphere: serious in theaters, Boardwalk spirit (photocall ‘in the English Channel’), closeness to the public.
- Expectations: an awards list where the intimate sheds light on the political.