From the genocide in Gaza to Donald Trump’s relentless assaults on the rule of law, the weight of global unrest cast a somber shadow over the opening ceremony of the 78th Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, May 13.

Ukraine has its own share in the festival, with three films to be shown as part of a special “Ukraine Day” program: two documentaries featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a third shot on the brutal frontlines of what is considered the largest war in Europe in 80 years. 

While no similar tribute has been organized for the war in Gaza, the documentary on Fatima Hassouna is expected to "honour her memory," according to the festival’s organizers.

Prior to the opening, more than 350 figures from the global film industry, including Hollywood actors Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, have publicly condemned the genocide in Gaza in an open letter released Monday, just ahead of the Cannes Film Festival.

"We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza," the letter states. It was initiated by several pro-Palestinian activist groups and published in both the French newspaper Libération and the US entertainment magazine Variety.

On the stage of the Grand Théâtre Lumière, Juliette Binoche, president of this year’s festival jury, paid tribute to Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on April 16, along with ten members of her family.

Hassouna, 25, is the subject of a new documentary titled Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, directed by Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi. 

"The day before her death, she learned that the film had been selected. Fatima should have been with us tonight," Binoche said with deep emotion.

Hassouna and ten relatives were killed in an Israeli air raid on her family home in northern Gaza last month, only one day after the documentary was revealed as part of the ACID Cannes selection.

Farsi welcomed the impact of her film but urged Cannes Festival organisers to condemn "Israel's" continuous assault on Gaza.

De Niro urges global action in defense of liberty

During the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, American actor Robert De Niro launched a scathing attack on US President Donald Trump, calling him a threat to global stability.

Receiving the honorary Palme d'Or, De Niro delivered an impassioned speech, warning that Trump's policies are not only a problem for the United States but for the entire world.

In a powerful speech, Robert De Niro declared that art unites people and threatens autocrats by seeking truth and embracing diversity.

Condemning Donald Trump’s actions as “unacceptable", he urged global action, not passive observation, calling on people to organize, protest, and vote in defense of liberty.

"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. (...) It's time for everyone who cares about liberty to organize, to protest and, when there are elections, vote. Tonight, and for the next 11 days, we show our strength and commitment by celebrating art in this glorious festival. Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité," he ended.