Three Ukraine documentaries featured at 78th Cannes Film Festival opening

The 78th Cannes Film Festival opened in France with a ceremony honoring actor Robert De Niro and a special focus on global conflicts, including three documentaries about Ukraine, RFI reported on 13 May.

De Niro received an honorary Palme d’Or for his career achievements, 49 years after his breakthrough role in “Taxi Driver.” The award adds to his collection that includes an Oscar and prizes from the Venice and Berlin film festivals.

“An actor who became commander-in-chief,” said host Laurent Laffitt, paying tribute to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose journey is documented in one of the featured films. The audience responded with applause.

The festival organizers scheduled three Ukraine-focused documentaries on the opening day “to tell the story of a conflict in the heart of Europe that has been affecting the Ukrainian people and the world for three years already.”

The documentary “Zelenskyy” chronicles the Ukrainian president’s transformation from actor to wartime leader. “Our War” portrays the front lines near Pokrovsk and Sumy, where Ukrainian soldiers fight alongside French volunteers. “2000 Meters to Andriivka” comes from Mstyslav Chernov, director of the Oscar-winning “20 Days in Mariupol,” and depicts the liberation of a village near Bakhmut.

French director Amélie Bonnin’s comedy “Partir un jour” (“Leave One Day”) serves as the opening film. Bonnin becomes only the third woman to open the Cannes Film Festival, following Diane Kurys and Maïwenn Le Besco.

The Gaza conflict also received attention at the festival opening. Nearly 380 filmmakers and actors from around the world, including Pedro Almodóvar, Richard Gere, and David Cronenberg, condemned what they called “silence” from the cultural world regarding the “genocide” in Gaza.

The documentary “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk” features Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who died in an Israeli bombing in mid-April.

The 78th Cannes Film Festival runs from 13 to 24 May. Twenty-two films will compete for the Palme d’Or, selected from 2,909 submissions from 156 countries.

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