By Ciara Mina
The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival kicked off on Tuesday, with major premieres taking place throughout the course of the next twelve days.
As the opening ceremony came to an end, American director Quentin Tarantino entered the stage and exclaimed, “It is my honour to announce the 78th Festival Open!”
Honorary Palme d’Or
Forty-nine years after “Taxi Driver” took home the Cannes top prize, Hollywood actor Robert De Niro was awarded an honorary Palme d’Or.
Leonardo DiCaprio, who, despite not walking the red carpet, received a standing ovation as he gave De Niro the honorary award.
After expressing his appreciation for the festival, De Niro quickly turned the topic to American President Donald Trump, who recently declared his plan to impose a tariff on foreign-produced films.
“Art is the truth. Art embraces diversity. And that’s why art is a threat to the autocrats and the fascists of the world,” De Niro stated.
“America’s philistine president has had himself appointed head of one of America’s premier cultural institutions. He has cut funding and support to the arts, humanities and education. And now he announced a 100 percent tariff on films made outside the United States. You can’t put a price on connectivity.”
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Feature Film jury
This year’s Feature Film jury, which consists of nine members – Halle Berry, Payal Kapadia, Alba Rohrwacher, Leila Slimani, Dieudo Hamadi, Hong Sangsoo, Carlos Reygadas, and Jeremy Strong – is led by Juliette Binoche.
The juries will choose the winners of the Palme d’Or, Grand Prix, Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Actor over the next few days.
At the closing ceremony on May 24, the winners will be announced. A screening of Momoko Sato’s Dandelion’s Odyssey will then quickly follow.
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