Politics dominate the opening of Cannes Film Festival

CANNES

The Cannes film festival kicked off on May 13 with a highly political ceremony that included a tribute to a slain Palestinian photojournalist from Juliette Binoche and a fresh attack on U.S. President Donald Trump from Robert De Niro.

Binoche, who heads this year's Cannes jury that will award the Palme d'Or top prize, lamented the death of Gaza photographer Fatima Hassouna to the star-studded audience.

Hassouna, 25, was killed in an Israeli air strike last month along with her family, a day after a documentary about her was selected to premiere at Cannes.

"She should have been here tonight with us," an emotional Binoche said, adding that "in every region of the world, artists are fighting every day and make resistance into art."

On the eve of the festival, more than 380 film insiders including "Schindler's List" actor Ralph Fiennes and former Cannes-winning directors said they were "ashamed" of their industry's failure to speak out about Israel's siege of Gaza.

"We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza," read a letter initiated by several pro-Palestinian activist groups and published in French newspaper Liberation and U.S. magazine Variety.

The signatories, who include Hollywood stars Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and former Cannes winners Ruben Ostlund, Mike Leigh, Justine Triet and Costa-Gavras, also denounced the death of Hassouna.

She was killed along with 10 relatives in an Israeli strike on her family home in northern Gaza.

De Niro was guest of honor at the opening ceremony, receiving an honorary Palme d'Or award for his contribution to cinema from fellow actor and occasional co-star Leonardo DiCaprio.

The 81-year-old is one of the most outspoken critics of Trump in American cinema, with the "Taxi Driver" star often aiming harsh words at the U.S. president.

The veteran actor said that "in my country we are fighting like hell for democracy" against a "philistine president".

He slammed Trump's plans for 100-percent tariffs on films "produced in foreign lands" which the Republican leader announced on May 5.

"You can't put a price on creativity. But apparently, you can put a tariff on it," De Niro said. "Of course, all these attacks are unacceptable. This is not just an American problem, it is a global one."

Trump's idea sent shockwaves through the film world, although few insiders or experts understand how the policy can be implemented.

Cannes director Thierry Fremaux has talked up the festival's "rich" American film program, with movies from Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Ari Aster and Kelly Reichardt in the main competition.

Former Cannes winner Quentin Tarantino declared the festival open.

He posed for photos on the red carpet with his Israeli wife Daniella Pick, who wore a yellow ribbon as a tribute to the 251 hostages taken by Hamas in 2023.

Dress code

The opening gala was also a first test of the festival's new dress code which prohibits excessively large dresses and "total nudity."

Jury member Halle Berry said she had been forced to leave a gown she had chosen for the opening night by Indian designer Gaurav Gupta in her wardrobe.

"I cannot wear it because the train is too big," the Oscar winner told reporters.

Others openly flouted the restrictions. German model Heidi Klum sported a pink train at least three meters long, while Chinese actor and influencer Wan Qianhui appeared in an enormous mountain of white taffeta.

The opening film was musical drama "Leave One Day" by newcomer French director Amelie Bonnin, who became the first debut director to be granted the prestigious slot.

Tom Cruise returned to the Riviera for the premiere of the latest instalment of his "Mission: Impossible" franchise on May 14, three years after attending the festival for "Top Gun: Maverick."

Christopher McQuarrie's latest “Mission: Impossible” installment is the biggest Hollywood tentpole wading ashore in Cannes this year.

In 2022, Cruise received an honorary Palme d'Or from the festival and the “Top Gun: Maverick” premiere included an impressively timed jet fly over. Whether the 62-year-old Cruise has anything up his sleeve this time will be much anticipated at Cannes. On Sunday, Cruise climbed atop the roof of the British Film Institute in London.

“The Final Reckoning,” which launched in Tokyo last week, opens in North American theaters on May 23.

The festival opened hours after a Paris court rocked the film world by convicting legendary actor Gerard Depardieu for sexual harassment and handing him an 18-month suspended prison sentence.

The 76-year-old, who has acted in more than 200 films and television series, is the highest-profile figure caught up in France's response to the #MeToo movement against sexual violence.