Robert de Niro shared against Trump-US President is a “baner”

Robert de Niro heralded the film festival in Cannes with a clear criticism of Donald Trump. The 81-year-old sends a signal to Hollywood, which recently held back with political statements. On the stage of the Festival Palace, he criticized the announcement by the US President that she wanted to raise tariffs on films produced abroad.

De Niro received the golden palm for his life’s work in Cannes and was welcomed with a standing ovation. Although he is known as a Trump opponent, his words are remarkable. Since Trump’s second inauguration, US film stars in particular have avoided publicly political criticism. Only Trump’s advocates in the film world-above all Oscar winner Jon Voight-were loud.

At the beginning of the 78th film festival, Trump’s customs threat is like a dark cloud over Cannes. “I don’t know what to say,” said jury President Juliette Binoche on Trump. “We can see that he is fighting and trying to save America and save his ass in many, many different ways.”

In his acceptance speech, de Niro described the US President as Banausen and called the audience to be politically defensive. “In my country, we fight with all its might for democracy that we once took a matter of course,” said the two-time Oscar winner.

He continued: “Art hugs diversity. And that’s why art is a threat. That is why we are a threat to autocrats and fascists. America’s Philistian President has appointed himself as head of one of our most important cultural institutions. He has reduced the means and support of the arts, the humanities and education. And now he has announced a 100 percent customs of films produced outside the USA. You can not use a price.

The laudation on de Niro had previously held Leonardo DiCaprio, who described his fellow actor as “the model” to “we looked up”. The 50-year-old described de Niro as follows: “He doesn’t say much, but if he does it, it is important. Whether it is about his friends, his family, the fight for our democracy or the support of film art, he is always there.”

Trump’s unconcrete plans for the US film industry will probably continue to employ the festival. Festival Director Thierry Frémaux had said before the ceremony that he had difficulty relating to something that is based on “the explanations of the American president, who has used us to say one thing and then add it, to explain, explain and so on”.

If he could speak directly to Trump, he would tell him that foreign films enriched the American imagination and culture, said Frémaux. “But I don’t think he is really interested in it,” he continued, adding: Cannes will “allow anyone who weakens the American cinema. And this year the American cinema is again very strong, very inventive and very creative.”

The film festival lasts until May 24th. The US cinema is actually strongly represented with directors such as Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson and Stars such as Tom Cruise, Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Kristen Stewart, Scarlett Johansson or Denzel Washington.

22 films compete for the golden palm. The Berliner Mascha Schilinski also goes into the race with her film “Look into the sun”. The drama was the first premiere to herald the competition on Wednesday. In the evening, the world premiere of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is planned with Tom Cruise.

Cruise is neither present in Cannes at a press conference nor at another event that is accessible to the press – which is unusual at a premiere of this caliber. At a press event in London, the “Hollywood Reporter” wrote, Cruise has recently changed a question about Trump’s customs plans and said that he preferred to talk about his new film.