Robert De Niro brutally slams Trump at Cannes opening, dubs him ‘America’s philistine president’ | Hollywood

Expectations are working excessive for a doubtlessly banner Cannes. The entire components — a great deal of stars, top-tier filmmakers, political intrigue — appear to be lined up. Over the subsequent 12 days, Cannes will play host to megawatt premieres together with these of “Mission: Inconceivable – The Remaining Reckoning,” Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest” and Ari Aster’s “Eddington.”

DiCaprio skirted the pink carpet however drew a standing ovation when he introduced De Niro with an honorary Palme d’Or. The second, which introduced collectively two of Martin Scorsese’s most common stars, got here 49 years after “Taxi Driver” was topped with the Palme d’Or.

DiCaprio praised De Niro as “the archetype” actor, whereas additionally praising the 81-year-old performer — a fierce critic of U.S. President Donald Trump — for “combating for our democracy.” When the gang rose to its ft for a prolonged ovation for De Niro, DiCaprio handed him the Palme. “Thanks, kiddo,” mentioned De Niro.

After thanking the pageant, De Niro shortly turned to talking about Trump, who just lately mentioned he desires to enact a tariff on movies made outdoors the nation.

“Artwork is the reality. Artwork embraces variety. And that is why artwork is a menace to the autocrats and the fascists of the world,” mentioned De Niro. “America’s philistine president has had himself appointed head of one among America’s premier cultural establishments. He has minimize funding and assist to the humanities, humanities and schooling. And now he introduced a 100% tariff on movies made outdoors the USA. You possibly can’t put a value on connectivity.”

A busy opening day 

The opening ceremony, which preceded the premiere of Amélie Bonnin’s French romance “Depart One Day,” was attended by Tarantino, who emerged to grandly declare the pageant open, after which promptly dropped the mic and walked off stage. On Wednesday, Tarantino pays tribute to Western filmmaker George Sherman. Additionally in attendance: Sean Baker, the “Anora” director and final yr’s Palme d’Or winner.

The ceremony capped a busy day at Cannes that included a three-film salute to Ukraine, the introduction of the jury that may determine the Palme d’Or, headed by Juliette Binoche, and the debut of a restoration of Charlie Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush” for its one centesimal anniversary.

Cannes is coming off a 2024 pageant that produced a lot of eventual Oscar contenders, together with “Emilia Pérez,” “The Substance,” “Circulation” and the most effective image winner, “Anora. ” Requested Monday if he is feeling the stress this time round, pageant director Thierry Frémaux mentioned the one type of stress he believes in is in beer. (Beer on faucet in France is “bière à la pression.”)

Cannes launched the identical day Gérard Depardieu, one among France’s most well-known actors, was discovered responsible of getting sexually assaulted two girls on a 2021 movie set. In one among France’s most outstanding #MeToo circumstances, Depardieu was given an 18-month suspended jail sentence. The 76-year-old has lengthy been an everyday presence at Cannes.

The introduction of Binoche’s jury 

This yr’s Cannes Movie Competition, the premier worldwide cinematic gathering, can also be unspooling following Trump’s name for tariffs on films made abroad. Confusion over the still-unformed plans characterised most responses.

“I don’t know what to say, actually, about that,” Binoche informed reporters Tuesday. “We will see that he is combating and attempting in many alternative methods to avoid wasting America and save his ass.”

Together with Binoche, the opposite eight jurors embody Halle Berry and Jeremy Sturdy, who was unable to attend Cannes final yr for the premiere of his Trump movie “The Apprentice.” Sturdy referenced that movie, which led to his first Oscar nomination, in his feedback on the American president Tuesday.

“Reality is beneath assault,” mentioned Sturdy. “Particularly at this temple of movie, the position of movie is more and more crucial as a result of it will probably fight these forces within the entropy of fact, and might talk truths, particular person truths, human truths, societal truths, and affirm and have fun our shared humanity.”

Berry, responding to Cannes’ new protocols on apparel for the pink carpet, mentioned she had “a tremendous costume” with a protracted practice for the opening ceremony however wore one thing else as an alternative. Cannes has outlawed nudity and attire with lengthy trains for its night premieres on the Palais.

“I needed to make a pivot,” mentioned Berry. “However the nudity half, I do assume might be additionally rule.”

A starry lineup, with geopolitics enjoying a co-starring position

Cannes will observe up Tuesday’s festivities with the return Wednesday of Tom Cruise. Three years after he introduced “High Gun: Maverick” to the pageant, he’s again with the most recent “Mission: Inconceivable” film.

Twenty-two movies will vie for Cannes’ prime prize, the Palme d’Or, to be introduced Could 24. These movies embody Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme,” Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Obscure,” Lynne Ramsay’s “Die, My Love,” Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Worth,” Kelly Reichardt’s “The Mastermind,” Oliver Hermanus’ “The Historical past of Sound,” Julia Ducournau’s “Alpha” and Jafar Panahi’s “A Easy Accident.”

In Cannes’ Un Sure Regard part, three outstanding actors are making their directorial debuts: Harris Dickinson (“Urchin”), Kristen Stewart (“The Chronology of Water”) and Scarlett Johansson (“Eleanor the Nice”).

Geopolitics are more likely to play a starring position at Cannes, which started by screening three 2025 Ukraine documentaries: “Zelensky,” Bernard-Henri Lévy’s “Notre Guerre” and The Related Press-Frontline coproduction “2000 Meters to Andriivka,” by “20 Days in Mariupol” Oscar winner Mstyslav Chernov.

“This ‘Ukraine Day’ is a reminder of the dedication of artists, authors and journalists to inform the story of this battle within the coronary heart of Europe,” the pageant mentioned in an announcement.

On Tuesday, greater than 350 filmmakers, actors and others within the movie business — together with Richard Gere, Pedro Almodovar, Javier Bardem, Viggo Mortensen and Mark Ruffalo, revealed an open letter within the French newspaper Libération and in Selection calling on cinema establishments to extra forcefully reply to what they referred to as “genocide in Gaza.”

ACID, a Cannes parallel part, consists of the documentary “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Stroll.” It is about Fatma Hassona, a 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist who was killed the day after the number of the documentary was introduced in April.

“Why is it that cinema, a breeding floor for socially dedicated works, appears to be so detached to the horror of actuality and the oppression suffered by our sisters and brothers?” the letter learn.