Robert De Niro, in Cannes to receive an honorary Palme d’Or during Tuesday night’s glitzy opening ceremony, used his time in the spotlight to defend democracy and take aim at America’s commander in chief.
“In my country, we are fighting like hell for the democracy we once took for granted. That affects all of us here, because art is the crucible that brings people together, like tonight. Art looks for truth. Art embraces diversity. That’s why art is a threat. That’s why we are a threat to autocrats and fascists,” he said to applause inside the Grand Lumiére theater with Leonardo DiCaprio standing over his shoulder after an affecting tribute to DiCaprio’s frequent collaborator and acting icon.
“America’s Philistine president has had himself appointed head of one of our premier cultural institutions [the Kennedy Center]. He has cut funding and support to the arts, humanities and education. And now he has announced a 100 percent tariff on films produced outside the U.S. Let that sink in,” De Niro continued. “You can’t put a price on creativity, but apparently you can put a tariff on it. Of course, this is unacceptable. All of 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.”
De Niro continued, noting people should take action, “without violence, but with great passion and determination.”
He concluded: “It’s time for everyone who cares about liberty to organize, to protest, and when there are elections, vote. Vote. Tonight, and for the next 11 days, we show our strength and commitment by celebrating art in this glorious festival. Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.”
His speech came as the world’s most glamorous gathering of cinephiles, stars, press and international film insiders hosted its opening ceremony. It is typically a night of glamorous celebration dedicated to the art of cinema and presented in that classic French way. While much of the evening reflected a typical Cannes festival, any questions as to how much the weight of the world would impact the festivities were answered at the top of the show by ceremony host Laurent Lafitte.
The French actor, making a return to the Lumiére stage after having hosted the ceremony years back, delivered a passionate speech about actors, their role in the shaping cinema and the impact they can have when they use their platform to make change. “An actor isn’t just a little self-centered being,” he said, noting how they can demonstrate engagement and courage. “For an actor, speaking out is often a form of self-sacrifice.”
He then credited high-profile actors like James Stewart, Jean Gabin, Josephine Baker, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Gere, Isabelle Adjani, Taraneh Alidoosti, Rock Hudson, Adèle Haenel and Volodymyr Zelensky (whom Lafitte called an actor turned war leader) who have had a positive influence on issues like climate change, equity, racism, immigration, gay rights and more. Lafitte then also took aim at Trump by saying that some of those issues and words tied up in conversations relating to them are being “banned by the administration” of the last super power of the world.
To counter what’s happening, he said that artists have a duty in the choices they make. “If there is a place in the world where civic cinema exists, it is in the Festival de Cannes,” Lafitte added. “Here in Cannes, we protect real-life cinema.” In closing, he said, “Long live the cinema. Long live humanity,” before quoting a late Italian-American filmmaker in an effort to encourage artists to follow “through our words, our choices, and our refusals, so that we may live up to Frank Capra’s words: ‘Only the daring should make films.’”
After receiving applause for the call to action, Lafitte made way for the introduction of this year’s jury, led by president Juliette Binoche, who kept a focus on the politically-charged landscape of the world. “Artists have the opportunity to bear witness for others. The higher the level of suffering, the more vital their involvement becomes,” said the beloved festival veteran (“born an actress in this very room”), calling out war, climate disruption, misogyny and the “demons of our barbarities” that leave little respite.
Binoche, who earlier side-stepped questions about the conflict in Gaza during Tuesday afternoon’s press conference, then mentioned the events and the aftermath of October 7. “The wind of pain is so violent today that it sweeps 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 these storms, we must give birth to gentleness, transform our fragmented visions into trust, rediscover, heal, cure our ignorance, and let go of our fears, our selfishness. Change, change course, and through their healing, restore humility,” she said.
Binoche then turned her attention to photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who was killed in Gaza alongside 10 of her relatives when a missile struck their home. “The day before her death, she learned that the film she starred in was selected here at Cannes. Fatima should have been with us tonight,” she said referencing the documentary Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk. “Art endures. It is the powerful witness of our lives and our dreams, and we, the audience, embrace it. May the Festival de Cannes, where everything can shift, contribute to this.”
Aside from awards and the welcome pomp and circumstance, the night’s program — presided over by Cannes delegate general Thierry Frémaux and president Iris Knobloch and hosted by Lafitte — also featured the world premiere of Amélie Bonnin’s Leave One Day.
The French film, known locally as Partir Un Jour, was adapted by Bonnin and Dimitri Lucas from the former’s 2021 César Award-winning short film of the same name. Described as a romantic dramedy, it stars Juliette Armanet as a Parisian chef who’s forced to reconnect with her small-town upbringing during an unexpected trip home. While there, she stumbles across her childhood sweetheart, played by Bastien Bouillon. Since the ceremony is such a special occasion in the home country of France, the opening ceremony and the night’s opening film are screened in 382 French movie theaters for thousands of guests.
In addition to the political talk, the ceremony, which was dedicated to Belgian actress Émilie Dequenne who died of cancer at age 43, featured a tribute to the late David Lynch courtesy of French singer Mylène Farmer. But there were lighter moments as well including the surprise showing of Quentin Tarantino who turned up in the ceremony’s final moments with the duty of offering the opening proclamation. He did so with Tarantino-style enthusiasm, even dropping the mic — literally — on the floor after he was finished.
Tarantino prepares to drop the mic after officially opening the Cannes Film Festival.
(Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
Back to DiCaprio: He received a lengthy standing ovation upon taking the stage to present De Niro with his honorary Palme, and said it was a great honor to be in the building to fete the man who has always been “the archetype” of who everyone looked up to. “Growing up in Los Angeles, every young actor I knew watched De Niro’s work. We studied him, trying to understand how he immersed himself so completely in his characters. He created the blueprint. He wasn’t just another great actor, he was the actor.”
The Oscar winner then detailed the story of how he met De Niro by crossing paths with him during an audition for what would be his big break in This Boy’s Life. “The audition process was a tough one. Lots of competition. None of us knew who would get the part,” he said, noting how he was about 15 or 16 at the time. “I did the only thing I couldn’t think of…I screamed at him at the top of my lungs.”
Those in the audition room burst out laughing, he continued. “Later that day, as the story goes, Bob was getting on his plane with a producer, Art Linson, who asked, ‘Who do you want to play the part?’ In classic De Niro fashion, he replied, ‘Second kid from the last.’ Luckily, that second kid was me. That moment changed my life forever, started my entire career in the world of cinema.”
DiCaprio, who got a few laughs when he said that De Niro taught just about every actor how to talk to themselves while staring in a mirror (including himself), closed by saying that while De Niro typically shuns the spotlight, he deserved tonight’s shine.
“If you know Bob, and I think many of you in this room do, you know he’s not someone who particularly enjoys being in the spotlight off camera. If I’m lucky, I’ll get a nod from him tonight, maybe even a half smile. And I’ll take that as a standing ovation. But every once in a while, even the most private of giants deserves their moment, a moment to be acknowledged, not just for their work but for the quiet lasting influence they’ve had on so many lives, on my life,” DiCaprio said before presenting the highlight reel. After handing over the Palme d’Or, DiCaprio got more than a nod or half smile, DeNiro gave him a hug.
De Niro accepts the honorary Palme d’Or from DiCaprio.
(Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Jury members Carlos Reygadas, Payal Kapadia, Dieudo Hamadi, Jeremy Strong, Juliette Binoche, Alba Rohrwacher, Leïla Slimani, Halle Berry and Hong Sang-soo attend the red carpet on opening night.
(Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)
Leonardo DiCaprio, Quentin Tarantino, Robert De Niro, Laurent Lafitte (in Berluti), Mylène Farmer and jury president Juliette Binoche are seen onstage during the opening ceremony.
(Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
