The Cannes Film Festival opened Tuesday against a backdrop of mounting debate over artificial intelligence’s impact on cinema, criticism over Hollywood studios’ limited presence and renewed scrutiny of the industry’s silence on Israel’s war on Gaza.
In the main Cannes competition, a total of 22 films are vying for the prestigious Palme d'Or prize for best film, which was won last year by the highly political Iranian movie "It Was Just an Accident" by Jafar Panahi.
The competition features a handful of historical dramas pondering the impact of authoritarianism and fascism, as well as others from arthouse heavy-hitters such as Spain's Pedro Almodovar, Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda or Romania's Cristian Mungiu.
But as usual in the build up to the world's biggest festival, off-screen events have dominated the conversation, most notably the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs, Hollywood's decision to ghost the event, and the under-representation of women.
Irish-Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty, one of the nine-person Palme d'Or jury, took a clear shot at Hollywood in a press conference just hours before the screening of the opening film, French drama "The Electric Kiss".
"Isn't it fascinating to see Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo blacklisted because of their views in opposing the murder of women and children in Gaza?" Laverty said in reference to the stars who have publicly opposed Israel's war in Gaza.
"Shame on Hollywood, people who do that," the Scottish-born writer, who was arrested last year at a pro-Palestine protest, added as fellow jury members Demi Moore and "Black Panther" star Isaach De Bankole looked on.
For years, activists have pushed European festivals to condemn Israel's war on Gaza, which killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and devastated the blockaded territory, calls which have been resisted by organizers. Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has been condemned as genocide by several international organizations.
Cannes director Thierry Fremaux again declined to be drawn into the debate in his opening remarks on Monday, insisting that neither he nor the festival should take political positions, while artists were free to express themselves.
Fremaux came out strongly against AI and its effect on the industry, however, where job losses are mounting.
"What is certain... is that here in Cannes, we stand with the artists, we stand with the screenwriters and we stand with everyone in these professions, with actors and voice actors alike," he told reporters on Monday.
Nonetheless, the festival said Monday that it had signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with social media giant and AI technology investor Meta.
Mark Zuckerberg's group is at the heart of a brewing controversy about the latest film from Oscar-winning "Traffic" director Steven Soderbergh, which will premiere in Cannes.
Soderbergh partnered with Meta to obtain AI-generated video of late Beatles songwriter John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono for his documentary "John Lennon: The Last Interview".
Thousands of French actors and filmmakers warned in an open letter in February that AI tools were "plundering" talent across the industry, comparing them to a "devouring hydra".
"There is nothing to fear (about AI) because one can never replace what true art comes from, because it comes from the soul," Moore, who attended Cannes in 2024 for "The Substance", told reporters.
Soderbergh is a rare Hollywood directing heavyweight in Cannes this year, with others such as Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan, hoped for by organizers, failing to appear on the programme.
The world's biggest film festival typically spotlights independent, arthouse cinema while relying on Hollywood to provide a dose of mass-market entertainment.
But no major U.S. studio agreed to launch a blockbuster this year, or at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, raising questions about why giants such as Universal, Disney or Warner are dodging European events.
"I really hope that the studios come back," Cannes director Fremaux said Monday, attributing their absence to scheduling issues and industry turmoil.
He stressed that American cinema was well represented, with "Paper Tiger" by James Gray starring Adam Driver, as well as "The Man I Love" by Ira Sachs featuring Rami Malek, in the main competition.
And there will be no shortage of A-listers on the red carpets.
A late addition to the programme includes a cast reunion to mark the 25th anniversary of "The Fast and the Furious", with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster set to appear on Wednesday.
Plane-mad legend John Travolta will bring some stardust when he unveils his directorial debut, "Propeller One-Way Night Coach", about a young boy's journey in the "golden age of aviation".
