The 38th Cannes Film Fest was held May 8–20, 1985.
The Palme d’Or went to When Father Was Away on Business by Emir Kusturica.
The festival opened with Witness, directed by Peter Weir and closed with The Emerald Forest, directed by John Boorman.
The festival paid a tribute to American actor James Stewart and screened a restored version of his 1954 film The Glenn Miller Story, directed by Anthony Mann.
Jury
- Miloš Forman (USA) (Jury President)
- Claude Imbert (France) (Journalist)
- Edwin Zbonek (Austria)
- Francis Veber (France)
- Jorge Amado (Brazil)
- Mauro Bolognini (Italy)
- Michel Perez (France)
- Mo Rothmann (USA)
- Néstor Almendros (Argentina)
- Sarah Miles (UK)
Films in competition
The following films competed for the Palme d’Or
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adieu Bonaparte | وداعا بونابرت | Youssef Chahine |  Egypt |
| Birdy | Alan Parker |  United States |
|
| Bliss | Ray Lawrence |  Australia |
|
| Chicken with Vinegar | Poulet au vinaigre | Claude Chabrol |  France |
| The Coca-Cola Kid | Dušan Makavejev | Australia |
|
| Colonel Redl | Oberst Redl | István Szabó |  Hungary |
| Derborence | Francis Reusser |  Switzerland |
|
| Détective | Détective | Jean-Luc Godard | France |
| Farewell to the Ark | さらば箱舟 | Shūji Terayama |  Japan |
| Insignificance | Nicolas Roeg |  United Kingdom |
|
| Joshua Then and Now | Ted Kotcheff |  Canada |
|
| Kiss of the Spider Woman | O Beijo da Mulher Aranha | Héctor Babenco |  Brazil |
| The Official Story | La historia oficial | Luis Puenzo |  Argentina |
| Madman at War | Scemo di guerra | Dino Risi |  Italy |
| Mask | Peter Bogdanovich | US |
|
| Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters | Paul Schrader | United States |
|
| Pale Rider | Clint Eastwood | US
|
|
| Rendez-vous | André Téchiné | France |
|
| The Two Lives of Mattia Pascal | Le due vite di Mattia Pascal | Mario Monicelli | Italy |
| When Father Was Away on Business | Отац на службеном путу | Emir Kusturica |  Yugoslavia |
Un Certain Regard
A Private Function by Malcolm Mowbray
- A.K. by Chris Marker
- Ad Sof Halaylah by Eitan Green
- Das Mal des Todes by Peter Handke
- Dediščina by Matjaž Klopčič
- Une femme en Afrique by Raymond Depardon
- Himatsuri by Mitsuo Yanagimachi
- Il diavolo sulle colline by Vittorio Cottafavi
- Latino by Haskell Wexler
- Le thé au harem d’Archimède by Mehdi Charef
- Milyy, dorogoy, lyubimyy, edinstvennyy… by Dinara Asanova
- Monsieur de Pourceaugnac by Michel Mitrani
- Le mystère Alexina by René Féret
- Oriana by Fina Torres
- Padre nuestro by Francisco Regueiro
- Tokyo-Ga by Wim Wenders
Films out of competition
- Die Nacht by Hans-Jürgen Syberberg
- Jumping by Osamu Tezuka
- Le soulier de Satin by Manoel de Oliveira
- Night Magic by Lewis Furey
- Steaming by Joseph Losey
- The Emerald Forest by John Boorman
- The Glenn Miller Story by Anthony Mann
- The Purple Rose of Cairo by Woody Allen
- Witness by Peter Weir
Awards
- Palme d’Or: When Father Was Away on Business by Emir Kusturica
- Grand Prix: Birdy
- Jury Prize: Colonel Redl
- Best Actor: William Hurt for Kiss of the Spider Woman
- Best Actress: Tie
- Norma Aleandro for The Official Story
- Cher for Mask
- Best Director: André Téchiné for Rendez-vous
- Short Film Palme d’Or: Jenitba by Slav Bakalov and Rumen Petkov
- Best Artistic Contribution: John Bailey (cinematographer and production designer/costume designer) and Philip Glass (composer) for Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
- Technical Grand Prize: Insignificance by Nicolas Roeg
- Caméra d’Or: Oriana by Fina Torres
- Perspectives du Cinéma Award: Visage de chien by Jacek Gasiorowski
- FIPRESCI Prize:
- Otac na sluzbenom putu by Emir Kusturica
- The Purple Rose of Cairo by Woody Allen
- Visages de femmes by Desiré Ecaré
- Prize of the Ecumenical Jury: La historia oficial by Norma Aleandro
- Prize of the Ecumenical Jury – Special Mention: Le temps d’un instant by Pierre Jallaud
- FIFA Award: Extended Play by David Casci
- Award of the Youth:
- Foreign Film: Dance with a Stranger by Mike Newell
- French Film: Le thé au harem d’Archimède by Mehdi Charef
