Seventy-seven years on from the inception of the Cannes film festival, its coveted Palme d’Or remains one of the industry’s highest honors. The prize has been bestowed upon some of the greatest auteurs in history—Roberto Rossellini, Orson Welles, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Luis Buñuel—and is staunchly global in its outlook, rewarding new releases that take risks and shed light on urgent social issues, regardless of their origin.
Ahead of this year’s festival, due to run from May 14 to 25, we shortlist 13 previous winners to rewatch now, from a surreal ’70s musical to a moving Japanese family drama.
La Dolce Vita (1960)
La Dolce Vita, 1960.Photo: Shutterstock
There’s no better introduction to Federico Fellini’s oeuvre than this exuberant masterpiece. Set over seven decadent days in Rome, it follows a world-weary journalist (Marcello Mastroianni) who is chasing stories for his gossip column. The women he pursues are glamorous and enigmatic—Anouk Aimée shines as a jaded heiress—but Anita Ekberg is the most captivating, as a film star who dances late into the night and then wades into the Trevi Fountain in a floor-length ball gown.
How to watch: Stream on Plex.
Blow-Up (1966)
Blow Up, 1966.Photo: Shutterstock
