CANNES, France (AP) 鈥� Much of the cinema world, including Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Quentin Tarantino, descended on the as the French Riviera extravaganza got underway Tuesday.
Expectations are running high for a All of the ingredients 鈥� loads of stars, top-tier filmmakers, political intrigue 鈥� seem to be lined up. Over the next 12 days, Cannes will play host to megawatt premieres including those of 鈥淢ission: Impossible 鈥� The Final Reckoning,鈥� Spike Lee鈥檚 鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest鈥� and Ari Aster鈥檚 鈥淓ddington.鈥�
DiCaprio skirted the red carpet but drew a standing ovation when he presented De Niro with The moment, which brought together two of Martin Scorsese's most regular stars, came 49 years after 鈥淭axi Driver鈥� was crowned with the Palme d'Or.
DiCaprio praised De Niro as 鈥渢he archetype鈥� actor, while also praising the 81-year-old performer 鈥� a fierce critic of U.S. President Donald Trump 鈥� for 鈥渇ighting for our democracy.鈥� When the crowd rose to its feet for a lengthy ovation for De Niro, DiCaprio handed him the Palme. 鈥淭hanks, kiddo,鈥� said De Niro.
After thanking the festival, De Niro quickly turned to speaking about Trump, who recently said he wants to enact a tariff on films made outside the country.
鈥淎rt is the truth. Art embraces diversity. And that's why art is a threat to the autocrats and the fascists of the world,鈥� said De Niro. 鈥淎merica's philistine president has had himself appointed head of one of America's premier cultural institutions. He has cut funding and support to the arts, humanities and education. And now he announced a 100% tariff on films made outside the United States. You can't put a price on connectivity.鈥�
A busy opening day
The opening ceremony, which preceded the premiere of Am茅lie Bonnin鈥檚 French romance 鈥淟eave One Day,鈥� was attended by Tarantino, who emerged to grandly declare the festival open, and then promptly dropped the mic and walked off stage. On Wednesday, Tarantino will pay tribute to Western filmmaker George Sherman. Also in attendance: Sean Baker, the 鈥淎nora鈥� director and last year鈥檚 Palme d鈥橭r winner.
The ceremony capped a busy day at Cannes that included a three-film salute to Ukraine, the introduction of the jury that will decide the Palme d'Or, headed by Juliette Binoche, and the debut of a restoration of Charlie Chaplin's 鈥淭he Gold Rush鈥� for its 100th anniversary.
Cannes is coming off a 2024 festival that produced a number of eventual Oscar contenders, including 鈥淓milia P茅rez,鈥� 鈥淭he Substance,鈥� 鈥淔low鈥� and 鈥� Asked Monday if he's feeling the pressure this time around, festival director Thierry Fr茅maux said the only kind of pressure he believes in is in beer. (Beer on tap in France is 鈥渂i猫re 脿 la pression.鈥�)
Cannes launched the same day G茅rard Depardieu, was found guilty of having sexually assaulted two women on a 2021 film set. In one of France鈥檚 most prominent #MeToo cases, Depardieu . The 76-year-old has long been a regular presence at Cannes.
The introduction of Binoche's jury
This year鈥檚 Cannes Film Festival, the premier international cinematic gathering, is also unspooling following Trump鈥檚 . Confusion over the still-unformed plans characterized most responses.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what to say, really, about that,鈥� Binoche told reporters Tuesday. 鈥淲e can see that he's fighting and trying in many different ways to save America and save his ass.鈥�
Along with Binoche, the other eight jurors include Halle Berry and Jeremy Strong, who was unable to attend Cannes last year for the premiere of his Strong referenced that film, which led to his first Oscar nomination, in his comments on the American president Tuesday.
鈥淭ruth is under assault,鈥� said Strong. 鈥淪pecifically at this temple of film, the role of film is increasingly critical because it can combat those forces in the entropy of truth, and can communicate truths, individual truths, human truths, societal truths, and affirm and celebrate our shared humanity.鈥�
Berry, responding to Cannes' said she had 鈥渁n amazing dress鈥� with a long train for the opening ceremony but wore something else instead. Cannes has with long trains for its evening premieres at the Palais.
鈥淚 had to make a pivot,鈥� said Berry. 鈥淏ut the nudity part, I do think is probably also a good rule.鈥�
A starry lineup, with geopolitics playing a co-starring role
Cannes will follow up Tuesday鈥檚 festivities with the return Wednesday of Tom Cruise. Three years after he brought 鈥淭op Gun: Maverick鈥� to the festival,
Twenty-two films will vie for Cannes鈥� top prize, the Palme d鈥橭r, to be presented May 24. Those films include Wes Anderson鈥檚 鈥淭he Phoenician Scheme,鈥� Richard Linklater鈥檚 鈥淣ouvelle Vague,鈥� Lynne Ramsay鈥檚 鈥淒ie, My Love,鈥� Joachim Trier鈥檚 鈥淪entimental Value,鈥� Kelly Reichardt鈥檚 鈥淭he Mastermind,鈥� Oliver Hermanus鈥� 鈥淭he History of Sound,鈥� Julia Ducournau鈥檚 鈥淎lpha鈥� and Jafar Panahi鈥檚 鈥淎 Simple Accident.鈥�
In Cannes鈥� Un Certain Regard section, three prominent actors are making their directorial debuts: Harris Dickinson (鈥淯rchin鈥�), Kristen Stewart (鈥淭he Chronology of Water鈥�) and Scarlett Johansson (鈥淓leanor the Great鈥�).
Geopolitics are likely to play a starring role at Cannes, which began by screening three 2025 Ukraine documentaries: 鈥淶elensky,鈥� Bernard-Henri L茅vy鈥檚 鈥淣otre Guerre鈥� and The Associated Press-Frontline coproduction by 鈥�20 Days in Mariupol鈥� Oscar winner
鈥淭his 鈥楿kraine Day鈥� is a reminder of the commitment of artists, authors and journalists to tell the story of this conflict in the heart of Europe,鈥� the festival said in a statement.
On Tuesday, more than 350 filmmakers, actors and others in the film industry 鈥� including Richard Gere, Pedro Almodovar, Javier Bardem, Viggo Mortensen and Mark Ruffalo, published an open letter in the French newspaper Lib茅ration and in Variety calling on cinema institutions to more forcefully respond to what they called 鈥済enocide in Gaza.鈥�
ACID, a Cannes parallel section, includes the documentary 鈥淧ut Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk.鈥� It's about Fatma Hassona, a 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist who was killed the day after the selection of the documentary was announced in April.
鈥淲hy is it that cinema, a breeding ground for socially committed works, seems to be so indifferent to the horror of reality and the oppression suffered by our sisters and brothers?鈥� the letter read.
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Jake Coyle has covered the Cannes Film Festival since 2012. To prepare for this year, he practiced eating crepes on the run and interviewed filmmakers on three continents who are in competition for Cannes鈥� top honor, the Palme d鈥橭r.
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For more coverage of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit .
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
