The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival launched with lots of politics and a special tribute to Robert De Niro that saw the Oscar-winner slam President Donald Trump as an “enemy of the arts.”
The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival launched with lots of politics and a special tribute to Robert De Niro that saw the Oscar-winner slam President Donald Trump as an “enemy of the arts.”
The main attraction — the French musical comedy, “Partir un Jour” — took a backseat to paparazzi scrambling to land a shot of the star of “Taxi Driver,” who made the trek to France to accept an honorary Palme d’Or from DiCaprio.
Past winners of the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top prize, such as Quentin Tarantino and Sean Baker, strode the red carpet, along with actors and models like Eva Longoria, Julia Garner, Heidi Klum, and Alessandra Ambrosio. But Tom Cruise, who is in town to premiere “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” was nowhere to be found.
There were short lines to enter the Palais as the crowds hurriedly made their way past the flashing cameras on the red carpet.
Inside the Palais, there was a lot more drama than on the overly cosseted red carpet.
In his speech accepting his career achievement award, De Niro slammed Trump as “America’s philistine president,” and urged the crowd to show their opposition to his administration.
“We have to act now,” he said. “Without violence, but with great passion and determination. It’s time for everyone who cares about liberty to organize, to protest, and when there are elections, of course to vote. Tonight, and for the next 11 days, we show our strength and commitment by celebrating art in this glorious festival.”
“War, misery, climate change, primitive misogyny, the demons of our barbarities leave us no outlet,” she said. “Today, the winds of pain are so violent that they carry away the weakest, the hostages of October 7 and all the hostages, the prisoners, the drowned who endure terror and die in a terrible feeling of abandonment and indifference. Against the immensity of this storm, we must give birth to gentleness.”
The ceremony included a tribute to David Lynch, the avant-garde director, whose films like “Mulholland Drive” and “Wild at Heart,” were favorites of Cannes audiences. But the show-stopping moment came when Tarantino strode on stage like a circus ringmaster to declare Cannes to be “officially opened” before literally dropping the mic.
The movies that kick off the festival, such as the Johnny Depp historical epic “Jeanne du Barry” or the Léa Seydoux and Louis Garrel comedy “The Second Act,” quickly fade from memory. “Partir un Jour,” which screened early to critics, will receive mixed reviews. A high-profile film journalist walked to her seat and whispered under her breath, “I will suffer through this.
There were minor protests in front of the Palais, involving freelance workers at the film festival upset over their working conditions and lack of benefits.
Cannes’ status as a critical awards season stop was validated after last year’s Palme d’Or winner, Sean Baker’s Anora, triumphed at the Oscars, capturing best picture. Recent editions have also seen the premieres of Oscar heavyweights like “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Zone of Interest” It’s unclear if this year will play host to other major awards contenders.
The lineup is diverse, including major studio releases such as Cruise’s final outing as super spy Ethan Hunt, as well as films from globally renowned auteurs like Ari Aster (“Edington”), Julia Ducournau (“Alpha”), Spike Lee (“Highest 2 Lowest”), Oliver Hermanus (“The History of Sound”) and Joachim Trier (“Sentimental Value”).
Despite two big movie stars on the planet — Cruise and DiCaprio– crossing the area at the same time, security was only slightly heightened. Police on horseback swept the side streets and car traffic was banned closer to the red carpet. The fan turnout appeared bigger than recent years, with barely any room to maneuver in front of the Palais.
A week before Cannes started, President Trump threw the movie business into a state of confusion after he announced that he was going to impose 100% tariffs on all films “produced in Foreign Lands.” His goal was to bring back production to the U.S. Trump has since backed off from that threat, stating no final decisions have been made and signaling a willingness to meet with studio executives. But if he shifts gear again and imposes his tariffs, they threaten to unravel a global network of film financing that relies on foreign subsidies to get movies, like the ones that show at Cannes, made.
French actor Laurent Lafitte began the ceremony with a jab at President Trump’s top ally, Elon Musk.
“An actor isn’t just an egocentric little being, busy watching his own films between two stings in a woodpecker. His eye riveted to his cell phone, hoping to see the word agent appear. A look of envy and hatred, a bit like looking at a Tesla,” he said.
