Under the gilding of the Grand Théâtre Lumière, the first notes of the 78ᵉ edition of the Cannes Film Festival resonated with a particular emotion. This Tuesday, May 13, 2025, the opening ceremony immediately embraced the gravity of the contemporary world without denying the magic of cinema. Led by an inspired Lafitte Lafitte, she was marked by the remarkable speeches by Juliette Binoche and Robert de Niro, between homage, commitment and celebration.
Laurent Lafitte: a declaration of love to actors and the committed cinema
From the first minutes, the tone is set. Laurent Lafitte, who finds the Cannes scene ten years after having officiated there in 2015, begins with a sober and painful tribute: “” She was born at the Cannes Film Festival, her humble and powerful delicacy will miss. I would like to dedicate this opening ceremony to Émilie Dequenne. »»
A deaf emotion crosses the room. The Belgian actress, recently disappeared, had embodied one of the great promises of European cinema since her revelation in Cannes in 1999.
But it was very quickly towards a political and humanist word that Laurent Lafitte guides her speech, in a momentum that is both lucid and tender. He chooses to speak of the actors, not in their sparkle of celebrity, but in the courage of some, who choose to expose themselves, to speak, to act. He quotes those who have transformed their art into a political gesture: “” Tonight, I would like to celebrate them. James Stewart or Jean Gabin, who go from cinema hero to hero. Joséphine Baker, who hides in her scores the coded messages of the French Resistance. Marlène Dietrich, who turns her back on her own nation to better find her. Richard Gere, who defends Tibet to the detriment of his career in China. Isabelle Adjani, who literally puts her life in danger by reading a passage from “Satanic Verses”. Taraneh Alidoosti, imprisoned for defending the rights of women in Iran. Rock Hudson, who upsets his posterity by making his death a symbol. Adèle Haenel, who leaves the room in the broad sense, the fist raised. And of course, Volodymyr Zelensky, an actor who became a warlord. »»
Then, with a rare sense of the verb, he questions:
“” Yes, for an actor, speaking is often sacrificial. Besides, I’m not crazy: by paying tribute to them this evening, I take advantage of their courage without getting too wet. Because at a time when climate, equity, feminism, LGBTQI+, migrants, racism, are no longer just film subjects, but also words prohibited by the administration of the first world power, we have a duty to ask ourselves: what will be our speaking? And will we have the courage ? »»
He invokes Frank Capra to conclude: “” Only the daring should make cinema. »»
And he adds, emphasizing the symbolism of the embrace appearing on the poster of the festival:
“We always ask ourselves the question of whether cinema can change the world. But if we always ask him for more inclusiveness, representativeness, parity … It is therefore good that he can. And sometimes it is enough to tell a man and a woman to touch the sublime and the universal. »»
Juliette Binoche: a song of poetic and fraternal resistance
When Juliette Binoche joins the scene, preceded by the members of the jury – Halle Berry, Payal Kapadia, Alba Rohrwacher, Leïla Slimani, Dieudo Hamadi, Hong Sangsoo, Carlos Reygadas, Jeremy Strong – The emotion is palpable. “” Daughter of the Cannes Film Festival, but actress in this same room “, she said right away, like a homecoming.
His speech, which will then be criticized, admired or hué, touches both intimate and collective. She paints a portrait of a world in crisis – political, ecological, humanitarian – and calls for a sensitive start: “” Artists have the opportunity to testify for others. The more the level of suffering increases, the more vital their involvement. War, misery, climate change, primary misogyny … Demons of our barbarism leave us no respite. The wind of pain is so violent today that it takes the weakest. »» She evokes hostages, drowned, prisoners, those who “” endure the terror and die in a terrible feeling of abandonment and indifference »»and exhort: “Against the immensity of this storm, we must give birth to softness, transform our fragmented visions in confidence, cure our ignorance, let go of our fears, our selfishness … change course. And, faced with pride, give back to humility all its place. »»
His tribute to the Palestinian photographer Fatma Hassounamurdered in Gaza by the Israeli army a few weeks earlier, upset the room: “On April 16, at dawn, in Gaza, aged 25, the photojournalist Fatma Hassouna and ten of her relatives were killed by a missile. The day before her death, she had learned that the film in which she appeared was selected here in Cannes. She should have been with us tonight. She had written: ‘Death crossed me, the shooter of the shooter crossed me, and I became an angel, in the eyes of an immense city, larger than my dreams …“”
Juliette Binoche completes with a prayer for art:
“Art remains. It is the powerful testimony of our lives, our dreams. And we, spectators, kiss him. That the Cannes Film Festival, where everything can switch, contributes to it. »»
Robert de Niro: a hot call to defend democracy
In a standing room, Leonardo DiCaprio enters the scene to put a palm of gold of honor to Robert de Niro, welcoming a mentor: “” Robert de Niro is not just a big actor, he is the actor. With Martin Scorsese, they redefined what cinema could be. They did not make films: they took risks together. »»
When Robert de Niro speaks, it is with this gravity that we know him, this slowness posed which gives each word a manifest strength: “” Thank you very much at the Cannes Film Festival for creating this community, this universe, this home for those who like to tell stories on the big screen. Cannes is a fertile land where new projects are created. »»
Then, in a direct allusion to the political situation in the United States, he continues: “In my country, we fight toe to defend democracy, which we consider to be acquired. This concerns everyone. Because the arts are, in essence, democratic. Art is a quest for freedom. This is why art is a threat today. This is why we are a threat to the autocrats and the fascists of this world. »»
His speech is then called upon mobilization: “We have to act, and immediately. Without violence, but with passion and determination. The time has come. Everyone who is about freedom must organize, protest, vote. Tonight, we are going to pay tribute to the arts, but also to freedom, equality and fraternity. »»
Tarantino, Mylène Farmer and the echo of Lynch
Before Quentin Tarantino sounds his legendary war cry – “ It’s My Honour to Declare The 78th Festival Open !!! – Another moment will have punctuated the ceremony: the appearance of Mylène Farmer. Coming to salute the memory of David Lynch, who disappeared last January, the Franco-Canadian singer interpreted an unprecedented piece, specially designed for the occasion. A discreet tribute and collected to one of the most singular filmmakers of his time.
(I would just like to add that as soon as possible, I would publish another article, to analyze, or at least give my own reading of the two speeches by Laurent Lafitte and Juliette Binoche).
Neïla Driss
