The 79th Cannes Film Festival opened on the French Riviera on Tuesday with a glittering ceremony hosted by Hollywood veteran Jane Fonda and Chinese star Gong Li, as the world's most prestigious film festival launched its twelve-day programme against a backdrop of debate over artificial intelligence and controversy surrounding Israel's participation.
New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson, best known for his adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, received an honorary Palme d'Or for his career contributions to cinema. The award was presented by actor Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in the trilogy and described the role as dividing his life into "before and after." Jackson, characteristically self-deprecating, told the audience the honour was a "stunning surprise" and joked that it was "the Cannes Film Festival's way of apologising for not giving 'Bad Taste' the Palme d'Or" — a reference to his low-budget 1987 debut. The opening ceremony also marked the arrival of John Travolta, who is presenting the first feature film he has directed.
AI and its implications for cinema dominated much of the festival's opening discourse. Jury member Demi Moore raised concerns about the threat AI poses to filmmakers and performers. Festival artistic director Thierry Frémaux, speaking at a press conference, offered a measured analogy: learning to use AI in filmmaking was like riding an electric bicycle — you must first know how to ride a regular one. He expressed solidarity with actors, stunt performers, and crew members whose livelihoods could be endangered by the technology, and acknowledged that even film critics might one day find themselves in that category.
Fonda, a long-standing political activist and vocal critic of US President Donald Trump, set a defiant tone in her opening remarks. "Cinema has always been an act of resistance," she told the assembled audience, "because we tell the stories that bring empathy to the marginalised." Her words resonated in a year when the festival has faced calls to exclude Israel over the ongoing war in Gaza — a controversy Frémaux navigated carefully, stressing that his role requires him to prioritise artistic judgement over political positions. "The world is very fragile today," he said, adding that the festival should not itself contribute to further confusion. Frémaux also noted that Cannes was founded deliberately as a counterweight to the Venice Film Festival, which Mussolini had conceived as a propaganda platform.
The festival's competition lineup features a notably European and auteur-driven selection, with Spanish cinema particularly prominent — spanning three generations of filmmakers from Pedro Almodóvar to younger directors. Major US studio productions are less visible than in previous years, reflecting broader tensions between Hollywood and the festival circuit. The opening film, "The Electric Kiss," has already generated discussion on the Croisette, with the main competition jury set to deliberate over twelve days before awarding the Palme d'Or.