Cannes Film Festival 2025: 5 Unmissable Moments From Opening Ceremony

The Cannes Film Festival 2025 has officially begun in the beautiful French city of Cannes, which is located on the glittering shores of the French Riviera. In the next 12 days, the festival's 78th edition will bring the best of world cinema under one roof. From head-turning red carpet looks to world premieres and screenings, the event has a lot to offer for cinema buffs.

On Tuesday, May 13, the film festival kicked off with its opening ceremony, which grabbed headlines for several reasons. This year's jury panel, consisting of Hong Sang-soo, Halle Berry, Jeremy Strong, Alba Rohrwacher, Dieudo Hamadi, Payal Kapadia, Leïla Slimani, and Carlos Reygadas, along with Jury President Juliette Binoche, walked hand-in-hand as they made their way through the red carpet. 

Meanwhile, Daniela Pick and Quentin Tarantino packed on the PDA as they posed for the lens on the red carpet. There were several other major highlights on Day 1 that you must not miss! Here's a list.

Leonardo DiCaprio presents honorary Palme d'Or to Robert De Niro

Leonardo DiCaprio took the stage to present the honorary Palme d'Or to legendary actor Robert De Niro. The two hugged as they shared the stage for the iconic moment. In his acceptance speech, De Niro said, "Tonight, and for the next 11 days, we show our strength and commitment by celebrating art in this glorious festival. Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité."

Quentin Tarantino makes surprise appearance

Quentin Tarantino declared that the film festival is "officially open" in the most dramatic way. The crowd cheered as he marked the beginning of the film festival at the opening ceremony. Before taking the stage, he walked the red carpet with his ladylove, Daniela Pick.

Eva Longoria and Heidi Klum pose with Carlos Sainz Jr.

Eva Longoria and Heidi Klum met with Spanish motorsports racing driver Carlos Sainz Jr. on the red carpet. While Eva was wearing Tamara Ralph SS25 Couture, Heidi donned an Elie Saab couture.

Bella Hadid stuns in sky-high slit gown

Bella Hadid arrived at the film festival in a chic dress that had dangerously high slits and cutouts. Is this the right way to go around Cannes' new dress code? Well, it seems so!

FYI: She was wearing a custom black dress from Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello.

Halle Berry ditches Gaurav Gupta gown due to new dress code

Halle Berry had to make last-minute changes to her opening ceremony outfit due to the new rules, which ban nudity and "excessively voluminous" clothing on the red carpet. Previously, she was planning to wear a Gaurav Gupta gown that had a long train.

ALSO READ: Cannes Film Festival 2025: Bella Hadid, Eva Longoria and More Stars Hit Red Carpet in Head-Turning Outfits