American actress Angelina Jolie mentioned Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina during her speech at the Trophée Chopard award ceremony at the Cannes Film Festival, reports Variety and Hollywood Reporter.
Victoria Amelina was killed on 27 June 2023, when Russian forces launched two missile strikes on Kramatorsk. The writer was among 13 people who died in the attack, which also claimed the lives of four children. Another 64 people were injured.
Angelina Jolie served as the godmother of the Trophée Chopard awards ceremony, a role typically performed by famous actors, celebrities, or influential people at events associated with the jewelry brand Chopard, which presents the award.
In her speech, the actress expressed her love for international cinema that can transport viewers “even to the battlefield,” and drew attention to the stories of women who lost their lives during wars and conflicts abroad.
“And none of us are naive. We know that many artists around the world lack the freedom and security to tell their stories, and many have lost their lives, like Fatima Hassouna, killed in Gaza, Shaden Gardood killed in Sudan, and Victoria Amelina killed in Ukraine, and so many other extraordinary artists who should be with us now,” Jolie said, according Hollywood Reported.
The actress emphasized that people attending Cannes gather not just for glamour but for connection through international cinema.
Victoria Amelina was a prominent Ukrainian novelist, poet, and war crimes researcher. Born in Lviv, she moved to Canada as a teenager but soon returned to Ukraine, where she completed a degree in computer science at Lviv Polytechnic University and initially worked in IT before dedicating herself fully to literature in 2015.
The 78th Cannes Film Festival is taking place from 13 to 24 May 2025.
At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Ukrainian cinema is represented with three documentaries about the ongoing war in Ukraine: “Zelenskyy” (directed by Yves Jeuland, Lisa Vapné, and Ariane Chemin), which traces President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s journey from comedian to wartime leader; “Notre Guerre” (“Our War,” directed by Bernard-Henri Lévy and Marc Roussel), documenting the experiences of Ukrainian soldiers and French volunteers on the frontlines; and “2000 Meters to Andriivka” by Mstyslav Chernov, focusing on the war in the Donetsk Oblast.
Ukrainian military personnel from the “Cultural Forces” initiative joined U2 frontman Bono at the premiere of “Stories of Surrender” in Cannes.
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- Massive Russian drone assault leaves one dead, multiple injured in Kyiv Oblast
