Opening night featured Juliette Binoche’s freshly unveiled jury, the premiere of French romance “Leave One Day,” and screenings of Ukraine documentaries “Zelensky,” Bernard‑Henri Lévy’s “Notre Guerre” and Oscar‑winner Mstyslav Chernov’s “2000 Meters to Andriivka.”
De Niro honoured 49 years after “Taxi Driver”
Hollywood legend De Niro, 81, received the honorary Palme nearly five decades after Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” won the festival’s top prize in 1976. Leonardo DiCaprio handed him the award during the gala ceremony.
Race for the Palme d’Or
Twenty‑two titles will vie for the festival’s highest honor, including Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme,” Lynne Ramsay’s “Die, My Love,” Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague,” Kelly Reichardt’s “The Mastermind” and Jafar Panahi’s “A Simple Accident.”
Binoche heads a jury that includes Halle Berry and “Succession” actor Jeremy Strong. The awards will be announced on May 24.
Blockbusters and controversies
Tom Cruise returns Wednesday with “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” while Spike Lee (“Highest 2 Lowest”) and Ari Aster (“Eddington”) bring world premieres later in the fortnight. The festival opens as France reels from a Paris court’s 18‑month suspended sentence against Gérard Depardieu for sexual assault – a case likely to fuel #MeToo conversations on the Croisette.
Politics at the Palais
Geopolitics loom large. Cannes’ Ukraine day comes amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for tariffs on foreign‑made films, a proposal festival director Thierry Frémaux said was “too early” to judge but added: “We wouldn’t want American cinema to cease to be strong.”
EU leaders in Kyiv last weekend urged a 30‑day ceasefire; Zelensky and Putin may meet in Istanbul on Thursday. Festival organizers said the Ukraine focus “reminds the world of artists’ duty to tell the story of this conflict at Europe’s heart.”
New voices in “Un Certain Regard”
Actors‑turned‑directors Kristen Stewart (“The Chronology of Water”), Scarlett Johansson (“Eleanor the Great”), and Harris Dickinson (“Urchin”) debut in the sidebar section, underscoring Cannes’ role as a launch‑pad for fresh talent.
The festival also marks Charlie Chaplin’s centennial by premiering a 4K restoration of “The Gold Rush.”
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Source: AP News, Variety, France24, Festival De Cannes