Cannes Film Festival opens with video address by Volodymyr Zelenskyy
During the Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony on May 17, 2022, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at length about the connection between cinema and reality, referencing films like Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” and Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” as not unlike Ukraine’s present circumstances.
“We need a new Chaplin who will demonstrate that the cinema of our time is not silent,” implored Zelenskyy, who drew a standing ovation. “Today, the cinema is not silent. Remember these words. The power they’ve taken from the people will be returned to the people,” said Zelenskyy.
The war in Ukraine is expected to be a regular presence in Cannes. Several films from prominent Ukrainian filmmakers are set to screen, including Sergei Loznitsa’s documentary “The Natural History of Destruction.” Footage shot by Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius before he was killed in Mariupol in April 2022 will also be shown by his fiancée, Hanna Bilobrova.
