Veteran actor Robert De Niro slammed US President Donald Trump at the opening on May 13 of the 78th Cannes Film Festival.
“In my country, we’re fighting like hell for the democracy we once took for granted. That affects all of us. That affects all of us here because the arts are democratic,” said De Niro.
His remarks came after the the 81-year-old received an honorary Palme d’Or for his life’s work and a tribute by Leonardo DiCaprio, who praised De Niro as a role model admired by generations of actors.
“Art is inclusive. It brings people together … Art looks for truth. Art embraces diversity. And that’s why art is a threat. That’s why we are a threat to autocrats and fascists,” De Niro continued.
He accused Trump of undermining cultural institutions in the US and condemned the the proposed tariffs on foreign films: “And now he has announced a 100% tariff on films produced outside the US. Let that sink in for a minute. You can’t put a price on creativity, but apparently, you can put a tariff on it. Of course, this is unacceptable.”
Calling for action, De Niro concluded: “All these attacks are unacceptable, and this isn’t just an American problem. It’s a global one. Like a film, we can’t just all sit back and watch. We have to act, and we have to act now, without violence, but with great passion and determination.”
The opening ceremony was followed by a screening of Partir un jour (Leave One Day) by French director Amélie Bonnin, telling the story of a woman who leaves her hometown to build a life of her own but must return for a family emergency.
22 films vie for the Palme d’Or
Running until May 24, Cannes is considered the paramount film festival in the world alongside the Venice Film Festival.
A total of 22 films will compete for the Palme d’Or top prize this year, including Lynne Ramsay’s Die, My Love with Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, and Eddington by Ari Aster, with Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Austin Butler, and Joaquin Phoenix.
German director Mascha Schilinski’s historical drama Looking into the Sun is also among the lineup.
Outside of the main competition, the directorial debuts of Kristen Stewart (The Chronology of Water) and Scarlett Johansson (Eleanor the Great) will be shown in the Un Certain Regard section, which showcases unusual styles and nontraditional stories.
There are also numerous star-studded premieres, such as Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning with Tom Cruise, Amrum by Fatih Akin with Diane Kruger, and Highest 2 Lowest by Spike Lee with Denzel Washington.
On May 13, three films addressing the war in Ukraine were scheduled as a special program.
Among them, 2000 Meters to Andriivka, the new documentary by Oscar-winning Ukrainian journalist and filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov, follows the fortunes of a group of Ukrainian soldiers.
—Lisa Forster, dpa (TNS)
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