The 25th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 4 to 19 May 1972.

American filmmaker Joseph Losey served as jury president for the main competition.

[3] The Grand Prix du Festival International du Film, then the fetival's main prize, was unanimously jointly awarded to Italian drama films The Working Class Goes to Heaven by Elio Petri and The Mattei Affair by Francesco Rosi.

[4] The festival opened with L'aventure, c'est l'aventure by Claude Lelouch,[5][6] and closed with Frenzy by Alfred Hitchcock.

[7] The following feature films competed for the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film:[2] The following films were selected to be screened out of competition:[2] The following short films competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or:[2] The following feature films were screened for the 11th International Critics' Week (11e Semaine de la Critique):[9] The following films were screened for the 1972 Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalizateurs):[10]