The 79th Cannes Film Festival officially opens with celebration of cinema, courage and creativity

Joined by violinist Miri Ben-Ari, the Mistress of Ceremonies opened the evening with a quote from Jean-Luc Godard: “We don’t make a film to be cautious.” She paid tribute to filmmakers who dare to show audiences realities they might otherwise avoid, celebrating cinema’s power to preserve humanity, courage and compassion.

She honoured storytellers who remind viewers that every life matters — “the hero’s and the anonymous one’s, the powerful’s and the invisible’s” — while also praising comedy as an underestimated form of courage.

The speech evolved into a broader declaration of love for cinema itself: “Because these stories that resonate within us, deep in our chest, alone sketch out all of humanity… Because nothing has been found better than two hours in the dark to learn how to watch and listen to others in full light.”

The emotional tribute introduced the jury for the 79th Cannes Film Festival. The international jury includes Demi Moore, Ruth Negga, Laura Wandel, Chloé Zhao, Diego Céspedes, Isaach De Bankolé, Paul Laverty and Stellan Skarsgård.

Presiding over the jury is acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, praised during the ceremony as the director who transformed “revenge into an art form” and “violence into poetry”.

Later in the evening, Elijah Wood — fondly remembered as Frodo from The Lord of the Rings — paid tribute to longtime collaborator Peter Jackson. The audience gave Jackson a long standing ovation in recognition of his cinematic achievements and his belief that technology only matters when paired with humanity.

Reflecting humorously on his past Cannes experiences, Jackson described his previous appearances at the festival as “unexpected and almost miraculous”.

The tribute continued musically with performances by Theodora and Oklou, who performed a rendition of Get Back in honour of Jackson’s documentary series The Beatles: Get Back.

To conclude the opening ceremony and officially launch twelve days of screenings, actresses Gong Li and Jane Fonda took the stage together. Representing East and West, the two stars called for a celebration of “boldness, freedom, and the fierce act of creation” before officially declaring the 79th Festival de Cannes open.