Cannes 2022: Zelenskyy urges filmmakers to confront dictators, as war rages on in Ukraine
May 18, 2022
Cannes [France], May 18 : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an emotional address at the opening ceremony of the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival through a live satellite video address and called on the filmmakers to confront dictators.
Zelenskyy, dressed in his signature olive green shirt, was streamed live for the formally attired audience who had gathered for the premiere of Michel Hazanavicius' zombie comedy "Final Cut" during the French film festival.
While he drew a thunderous standing ovation at the french film festival, he also spoke at length about the connection between cinema and reality. He referenced films like Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" and Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator", The Washington Post reported.
Quoting Chaplin's final speech in "The Great Dictator," which was released in 1940, Zelenskyy said, "The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people."
"We need a new Chaplin who will demonstrate that the cinema of our time is not silent," he further implored.
The 75th Cannes film festival has already marked its support for Ukraine as it has barred Russians with ties to the government from attending this year.
Several films from prominent Ukrainian filmmakers, including Sergei Loznitsa's documentary "The Natural History of Destruction" will be screened as well.
Additionally, footage shot by Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravicius before he was killed in Mariupol in April will also be shown by his fiancee, Hanna Bilobrova.
The 75th Cannes Film Festival started on Tuesday, May 17 and will go on till May 28.
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces.
More than 5.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine since then, while around 7.7 million people had been displaced within the country, according to the United Nations.
