Opening ceremony of the 78th Festival de Cannes

The 78th Cannes Film Festival started off strong Tuesday evening with a powerful opening ceremony.

This year's master of ceremonies, Laurent Lafitte, took the stage to welcome the Feature Film Jury— Alba Rohrwacher, Carlos Reygades, Dieudo Hamadi, Haile Berry, Hong Sangsoo, Jeremy Strong, Leila Slimani, and Payal Kapadia. The President and ninth member of the jury, Juliette Binoche, received a special introduction, during which she gave a powerful statement on the value of peace and humanity in our current society. 

Following the jury’s introduction, a moving tribute for the late director David Lynch was shown. Accompanying the memorial was a live performance by French-Canadian singer Mylene Farmer, which moved many audience members to tears— mourning the loss of such an influential figure in the film industry.

Next, Leonardo DiCaprio came before the audience to say a few words about his relationship with Robert De Niro, and to introduce De Niro for the acceptance of his Honorary Palme d’or award. De Niro then took the stage before a highly enthusiastic audience, the applause for this legendary actor’s entrance lasted several unbroken minutes. De Niro gracefully accepted his award and made a statement on the power of diversity in the arts and the need to defend democracy, now more than ever.

Finally, director Quentin Tarantino made a brief cameo as he enthusiastically announced the official opening of the 78th Festival, dropped the microphone, and left the stage to thunderous applause— completing the Opening Ceremony on a high note.