At the opening night of the 75th Cannes Film Festival, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a declaration to those in the audience at the Palais: “We will win this war.”
On a live video call from Kyiv, as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky addressed the room of filmmakers, press, festival attendees and staff, as well as stars like Julianne Moore and Forest Whitaker, saying, “It’s necessary for cinema not to be silent.”
During his impassioned speech, which was translated live into French in the Palais and then into English for several including THR, Zelensky made several references to movies, including Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator, and called on filmmakers not to stand by idly during the war. “The most brutal dictators of the 20th century loved cinema,” noted Zelensky, who pointed out the irony that the movies that were made about these dictators were “horrific documentaries and newsreels”.
“I’m sure that the dictator will lose,” said Zelensky, who never referenced Russian President Vladimir Putin by name. Zelenskyy signed off: “Glory to Ukraine.”
More to come.
Source: Hollywood
