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Jeremy Strong recently opened up about his role as a member of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival jury, as per a report by Variety. He described the deliberation process as both intense and celebratory. The actor joined a panel led by president Juliette Binoche to judge this year’s competition films.
Jeremy Strong likened the Cannes jury experience to a papal conclave “with champagne,” emphasizing its collaborative and transformative nature.
At a post-awards press conference, Strong reflected on the 11-day process. He said, as per Variety:
“It’s been so invigorating, and this sort of cumulative tally of the work I’ll carry with me. This has been a really wonderful experience, a really connected experience with these people, it’s like ‘Conclave’ with champagne. It’s really great,” he said.
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He praised the camaraderie among jurors, which included figures like Halle Berry and director Carlos Reygadas, calling it a “connected experience” that left him “immeasurably inspired.”
The jury awarded the Palme d’Or to Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident, a film centered on Iranian former prisoners grappling with revenge.
Jeremy Strong highlighted the movie’s emotional resonance, quoting playwright Henrik Ibsen:
“Deep inside, there’s a poem in a poem. And when you hear that, you grasp something ineffable.”
Binoche echoed Jeremy Strong’s sentiments, calling the film a testament to “resistance and survival.”
She emphasized the jury’s alignment with Robert De Niro’s opening ceremony statement that “fascists should fear art,” underscoring their focus on transcendent storytelling.
Jeremy Strong on the deliberations behind the Palme d’Or decision
Strong’s comparison to Conclave, a film about papal elections, highlighted the gravity and secrecy of the jury’s discussions. The panel also included filmmakers Payal Kapadia and Leïla Slimani.
They debated 22 films before selecting Panahi’s work for its raw humanity and political urgency.
Binoche noted that It Was Just an Accident stood out for its exploration of moral complexity under oppression.
“Art will always win,” she declared, linking the choice to broader themes of creative resistance.
Strong added that the jury sought films with “poems within the poem,” a nod to Ibsen’s idea of layered artistic expression.
The Iranian director’s win carries symbolic weight; given his recent imprisonment and the film’s focus on systemic injustice.
Panahi’s absence from Cannes due to travel restrictions underscored the precarious realities faced by artists in restrictive regimes.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Strong’s remarks emphasized the emotional impact of the selection process, revealing how the films “changed” him.
De Niro’s opening speech, which framed art as a bulwark against authoritarianism, resonated throughout the festival.
The jury’s decision to honor Panahi’s work aligned with this ethos; celebrating narratives that challenge power structures.
With the Palme d’Or awarded, the 2025 edition leaves a lasting imprint on both jurors and audiences.
