With the start of the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, the international film industry is eagerly anticipating this year's film market. While the festival traditionally stands for glamour, big premieres and international deals, the mood in 2025 is characterised by uncertainty. The independent film industry is struggling with a variety of challenges: Declining cinema revenues, unclear revenue models in the streaming sector and the announcement of possible US tariffs on foreign films are putting a strain on business.
In particular, the discussion about a 100 per cent punitive tariff on foreign film productions, initiated by former US President Trump, is causing unrest. Even if it is still unclear whether this measure will actually be implemented, the announcement alone is like a sword of Damocles hanging over the industry. International co-productions and global distribution strategies based on cross-border pre-sales could be severely disrupted.
Despite these uncertainties, Cannes 2025 is unusually strong from a market perspective. Many sales agents are arriving with high-quality, already completed films - productions that have a real chance of being released in cinemas. The market supply is good, the demand is there. Nevertheless, buyers and investors are acting with more caution than in previous years. Financing models are increasingly based on solid figures rather than speculative potential. If you want to be successful, you have to be financially disciplined and strategically well thought-out.
The role of streaming services remains a key issue. Platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+ continue to rely on the acquisition of global rights packages. Although this guarantees producers short-term income, it reduces potential profits from staggered regional exploitation in the long term. At the same time, ad-financed streaming (AVOD) is becoming increasingly important in Europe - especially for genre-orientated and niche content. However, this model requires a new way of thinking: success here is measured less by licences sold and more by click figures and advertising revenue.
In view of all these developments, it is clear that anyone who wants to survive in this volatile market needs reliable data more than ever. Information on price structures, licence models and regional market conditions has become the basis for every negotiation. Data-driven work is no longer an option, but a must.
Despite growing competition from other film markets such as the repositioned American Film Market (AFM) in Las Vegas or the sales forum announced for 2026 in Toronto, Cannes remains the central hub for international film deals. It remains to be seen whether this high level of concentration will revitalise or overwhelm the market. But one thing is clear: Cannes 2025 is exemplary of an industry in transition. Between caution and new beginnings, between crisis and opportunity, it is clear that success in this environment no longer depends solely on the creative potential of a film - but on the courage to act flexibly, calculate wisely and deal with uncertainty professionally.
FILMTAKE reports in detail.