NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
A video address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urging filmmakers to use their talents to speak out against aggressive world leaders was presented at the 75th Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday.
In his virtual address, Zelensky drew parallels between Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine and Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Ukrainian president called on those who attended the French Riviera festival to uphold freedom of speech, especially in the face of dictators seeking control.
MORE THAN 3700 TYRN PEOPLE BEATEN IN UKRAINE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF RUSSIA’S RESPECT: UN
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky appears through the console at the opening ceremony of the 75th International Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 (Photo by Vianney Le Caer / Invision / AP)
(Photo by Vianney Le Caer / Invision / AP)
“Hatred of the people will pass, dictators will die, and the power they have taken from the people will return to the people,” Zelensky said, quoting Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator, a film banned in Germany for satire. Adolf Hitler.
“We need a new Chaplin who will demonstrate that the cinema of our time is not silent,” he added.
REMAINING UKRAINIAN WARRIORS EVACUATED FROM MARIUPOL STEEL INSTITUTIONS: ZELENSKI
Festival staff are putting up an official billboard at the Lumiere Theater in preparation for the 75th International Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on Sunday, May 15, 2022. The Cannes Film Festival takes place from 17 to 28 May 2022. (AP Photo / Dejan Jankovic)
The Ukrainian president’s comments came amid a bloody war on his front that has lasted more than 80 days – the longest war in Europe since World War II.
Cinema is “always on the side of freedom,” Zelensky said.
RUSSIA’S BANKRUPTCY CANNOT WIN AND STUPID IS IN WAR: ZELENSKI
Later in the evening, Zelensky made his nightly televised address to the Ukrainian people, where he repeated his statements.
“I am [am] reminded that now, as in the 1940s, it is necessary to boldly and openly defend freedom and fight the dictatorship. Now is the time. If the language of cinema can and should become the language of the struggle for freedom, ”Zielenski said.
People walk along the Croisette in front of the 75th Cannes International Film Festival, Southern France, Monday, May 16, 2022. The Cannes Film Festival runs from 17 to 28 May 2022 (AP Photo / Petros Giannakouris)
(AP Photo / Petros Giannakouris)
He added: “As in World War II, the struggle for freedom can be based, in particular, on the power of art.”
CLICK HERE TO SAVE FOX NEWS
The Cannes Film Festival, which barred Russian filmmakers and other government figures from participating this year, began with French director Michel Hazanavičius’ zombie comedy “Final Cut.” The title of the film was changed from “Z” because the letter was compared to the Russian military, which adopted the letter to support the invasion of Ukraine.
The event also featured works by several well-known Ukrainian filmmakers, including Sergei Loznitsa’s documentary “Natural History of Destruction.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
