The 75th Festival de Cannes has begun!

"Can cinema change the world? That's far from certain… But it can really shake us up."

The tone for this edition has been set. From the Selection to the guests, the event will be one of engagement. Starting with this ceremony. The French actress was joined on stage by the guest of honour, Forest Whitaker, who was welcomed by a long standing ovation from the audience.

“Artists are the torch-bearers who tell the tales of Humanity and make the magic of our dreams a reality.”

And adding: "It's a great honour to be here this evening to celebrate the power of cinema. We are here to celebrate voices, I thank Thierry Frémaux and Pierre Lescure for welcoming these voices."

The feature film jury – Asghar Farhadi, Rebecca Hall, Ladj Ly, Jeff Nichols, Deepika Padukone, Noomi Rapace, Joachim Trier and Jasmine Trinca – then made their entrance, followed by Jury president Vincent Lindon, whose career was recapped through a film montage.

Profoundly "moved and proud" to lead this Jury, the French actor took the floor, also concerned with the state of the world: "Could we do anything other than cinema, this weapon of mass emotion, to awaken consciousness? I don't think so. […] This is the time of artists, responsible filmmakers, in tribute to all those who are suffering and who are fighting around the world. To be alive and to know it."

Once again alongside Forest Whitaker, Virgine Efira paid tribute to "the artist, the filmmaker, the Unesco ambassador and the citizen of the world". Before receiving his Honorary Palme d'or, Whitaker spoke of his memory of the Best Actor Award he received in this same theatre for his role in Clint Eastwood's Bird in 1988:

“The memories from thirty years ago have come back to me. I can still hear the crowd chanting ‘Clint! Clint!’ At the end, I was really surprised to receive this prize. It was now my name that was being chanted.”

Pierre Lescure handed the Honorary Palme d'or for this 75th Festival to the American actor, director and producer to honour both his brilliant artistic career as well as his rare and engaged personality.

To "perfect the outpouring of cinematic love", Virginie Efira then called Vincent Delerm to the stage. The singer, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his career, came to join the festivities by sitting at the piano and having the theatre sing along to the notes of "Que je t'aime".

In 1939, the Festival was created from a desire to stand up against Nazism and fascism. This evening, 75 years later, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky appeared live on the screen of the Grand Théâtre Lumière to make the voice of his country heard: "These days, not a week goes by where we don't find people tortured. You saw Marioupol, the municipal theatre struck by a Russian bomb. The theatre was a lot like the one where you are gathered today. People were taking refuge there. They were civilians."

“In the beginning, cinema appeared in our lives, then it became our life, and now it is that on which our lives depend.”

A speech that resonated for a long time among the audience, who stood to applaud the Ukrainian president.

It was left to Julianne Moore to provide the final words of this ceremony. By declaring open the 75th Festival de Cannes, the American actress and producer once again called "for daring and for freedom".

The opening film, Michel Hazanavicius's Coupez ! (Final Cut), with Bérénice Bejo and Romain Duris in attendance, began the screenings, which will finish on 28 May with the awarding of the Palme d'or.

The Opening ceremony was broadcast live at 7pm on France 2 in France and on Brut. internationally.

As is the case every year, almost 400 theatres in France welcomed spectators to experience this exceptional evening: the Ceremony and the opening film, an event initiated by the Festival de Cannes, with France Télévisions, the Fédération Nationale des Cinémas Français (the National Federation of French Cinemas) and the CNC.