The jury of the 79th Cannes Film Festival responded to journalists during the traditional press conference.
“We live in troubled times, with the genocide, what is happening in Gaza.” From the first intervention of Ken Loach’s screenwriter Paul Laverty, the tone of the press conference was set. After the controversy at the Berlinale, the members of the 79th jury could not avoid answering questions about the political dimension of cinema. “I don’t think politics and art should be separated.â€Art and politics are not opposing concepts. We must also not ignore films without an obvious political statement and, at the same time, we must not allow films to become works of propaganda,” explained South Korean director Park Chan-wook.
Demi Moore: “We must not censor ourselves”
“In every story, there is the question of power, how it operates. People who call themselves apolitical often hold political ideas. Politics is like water and air, it is always present,” added Paul Laverty. “Etymologically, politics comes from Politis, it means the affairs of the people. And cinema can only talk about that, otherwise it would not be human,” concluded actor Isaac de Bankolé. Later in the discussion, American star Demi Moore clarified that we should not censor ourselves. She also explained her position on AI. “You shouldn’t be afraid of it. Art comes from the soul. AI will never be able to reproduce that,” she explained. “Who owns the tech companies? The rich owners of AI make decisions thinking that the rest of the world will follow,” Paul Laverty explained angrily.
The press conference was more relaxed than this report suggests. Asked about his first reaction when he received the invitation from the Cannes Film Festival, Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard responded in one word: “Finally.” “It’s okay, I didn’t die before receiving this honor,” he added, provoking laughter from his playing partners. Demi Moore, for her part, burst out laughing while recalling her experience in “The Substance”: “The reception here launched the tremendous film career […] To find myself here, two years later, is an incredible honor.” But it was Paul Laverty who had the last political word. “Look at this stunning poster featuring Susan Sarandon. “Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo were blacklisted by Hollywood for speaking out about Gaza. Shame be on Hollywood. I hope that we will not receive bombs on our heads for this poster,” he declared.
