Cannes (France), (EFE) opening, in which he assured that “there are many festivals in the world”, but only one ‘Cannes’”.
“This means so much to me because there are hundreds of festivals around the world, but there is only one Cannes,” said the star of “Basic Instinct” and “Fatal Attraction.”
In his thank you speech, which did not lack moments of emotion and a few words in French to convey his affection to the French public, Douglas, 78, recalled that after the years of the pandemic and a war that has divided the world (referring to the Russian invasion of the Ukraine”), this great film quote from the French Côte d’Azur recalls the optimistic aspects of life.
“This festival reminds us of the positive, underlines our common points, shows that cinema can cross borders and unite human beings,” he said.
In his speech, there was also room for jokes and he even compared his age with that of the Festival – “76 years? I’m even older! ”-, But he also had words for his teachers and, above all, for his father, Kirk.
“To the public he was a Superman, but to me he was my father,” he said.
He also thanked his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and his daughter, Carys Zeta, for their support, who accompanied him in Cannes and escorted him on his walk on the red carpet.
The person in charge of presenting him with the Palme d’Or of Honor was the actress Uma Thurman, who recalled that this award is given to figures who have made an exceptional contribution to cinema and assured that she cannot think of anyone better than Michael Douglas, a “titan ” of the seventh art.
Previously, the French-Italian actress and singer Chiara Mastroianni, daughter of the actors Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni, had been in charge of opening the gala with a welcome speech as the master of ceremonies for this edition.
“Cinema belongs to life, it is its reflection,” Mastroianni assured before introducing the jury for the Palme d’Or for this 76th edition, chaired by the Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund.
The director of “El triángulo de la tristeza” -the great winner of the festival last year- made a plea in favor of cinema and its theaters as a meeting place in the era of social networks.
After the opening ceremony, the Festival screened the first film of this 2023, the historical drama “Jeanne du Barry”, directed by the French actress Maïwenn, who also stars in the film alongside Johnny Depp.
Both were another of the great attractions of the red carpet on the beach of La Croisette.
This Cannes Festival will last until May 27, with 21 films in contention for the Palme d’Or.
These include new films by Wes Anderson, Nanni Moretti, Wim Wenders, Ken Loach and the Brazilian Karim Aïnouz.
Out of competition, it will be possible to see the new short film by Pedro Almodóvar, “Extraña forma de vida”, and the return to the direction of the Spanish Víctor Erice with “Cerrar los ojos”.
The festival will also count Latin American works such as “Lost in the night”, by the Mexican Amat Escalante, “Eureka”, by the Argentine Lisandro Alonso, or the Chilean “Los colonos”, the first film by Felipe Gálvez.