Shark-obsessed killers and musings on masculinity: Here's what Aussies brought to Cannes this year

Australia Broadcast Center

24-05-2025

Every year during May, hundreds of the world's biggest stars and thousands of film industry workers descend on a sunny, French seaside town.
That's right, it's the Cannes (pronounced like can, not like the FNQ city) Film Festival.
On the surface it might seem like an excuse for celebs to step in front of the camera, but Cannes has historically allowed a peek into what will be rocking cinemas and award ceremonies over the next year.
As the festival wraps up today, here's what you need to know.
What is the Cannes Film Festival?
Now in its 78th year, Cannes is one of the 'big five' international film festivals, alongside Venice, Berlin, Sundance and Toronto.
Hundreds of filmmakers submit their projects to a jury in the hope they'll be selected to be a part of the official competition. Only around 20 are chosen (22 for 2025) to be officially "un competition" but there are numerous screenings and premieres outside of the official race.
At the end of the two-week festival, a number of awards are given out, including Prix de la mise en scène (Best Director), Prix d'interprétation masculine and Prix d'interprétation féminine (Best Actor and Actress) and the highly coveted Palme d'Or for the best film of the whole festival.
While the Palme has always been a prestigious award, in recent times it's also been a crystal ball for Oscar nominees and winners. The trend began bubbling over with Bong Joon Ho's Parasite, which rode a 2019 Palme win all the way to Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards —the only foreign language film to ever do so.
Last year, Sean Baker's Anora took the Palme before coming from behind in a stacked category to take 2025's Best Picture statue. In fact, 40 per cent of the gongs at this year's Oscars were won by films that were awarded at Cannes.
That's not to say there haven't been controversial Cannes choices: last year's Jury Prize went to Emilia Perez, kicking off one of the most chaotic Oscars campaigns of the 2020s.
Outside the competition, Cannes also dabbles in more blockbuster fare — this year saw the premiere of the final Mission Impossible.
It's also how we got this historic picture of Jerry Seinfeld dressed as a giant bee, zip lining into the 2007 festival to promote his starring role in The Bee Movie.
Yes, that is internationally renowned comedian Jerry Seinfeld in a fluffy bee suit. ( Getty: George Pimentel )
Australians at Cannes 2025
While no Australian films are competing in the official section of Cannes this year, there are several selected to premiere at independent competitions running parallel to Cannes.
Australian creatives have also been honoured at this year's festival: Nicole Kidman was presented with the 2025 Women in Motion award for her commitment to working with female directors; and Academy award-winning Australian cinematographer Dion Beebe (Memoirs of a Geisha; Chicago; The Little Mermaid) was presented with the 2025 Pierre Angénieux Tribute for his contribution to cinematic imagery.
Jai Courtney stars in Dangerous Animals. ( Supplied: Kismet Films )
Shark-infested horror Dangerous Animals is the first Australian film to compete in independent Cannes sidebar the Director's Fortnight in more than a decade.
The movie follows American tourist Zephyr (Hassie Harrison; Yellowstone) as she is abducted by a deranged shark enthusiast (Jai Courtney) who imprisons her on his cage-diving boat. With great whites circling and a serial killer at the helm, Zephyr has to figure out how to escape before she becomes fish food.
Directed by Sean Byrne — the Tasmanian creative who also helmed 2009's cult classic The Loved Ones — Dangerous Animals was filmed on the Gold Coast with backing from Screen Queensland.
Early reviews out of Cannes have been warm, with Deadline saying the exploitation flick is "tailor-made for summer movie-going" and Roger Ebert critic Brian Tallerico giving it three out of four stars.
Dangerous Animals will be released into Australian cinemas on June 12. The Plague Joel Edgerton stars in and co-produces The Plague, which had its premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. ( Supplied: Cannes )
While ~technically~ a shared production with the US, The Plague stars Aussie staple Joel Edgerton and is the first feature under his Five Henry's production house — so we're pulling a Russell Crowe and claiming it.
Set in 2003, Edgerton stars as Daddy Wags, the coach of a pre-teen water polo team. The Plague delves into the murky world of teen masculinity and coming-of-age queasiness through the setting of a teen sports camp.
The Plague premiered as a part of Cannes' Un Certain Regard section, which highlights more eclectic and non-traditional stories. The debut feature from Charlie Polinger, the writer/director took inspiration from his own experiences at an all-boys summer camp to create the black comedy/horror. The Body (short film) The poster for The Body short film. ( Supplied: IMDB )
Also debuting in the Director's Fortnight section, The Body is the first short film from Melbourne playwright Louris van de Geer. Laura Wheelwright (Animal Kingdom) stars as Jane, an actor cast as a dead body in a crime show — but as she settles into the role she comes to realise that the role has settled into her.
Other films to look out for