Spanish film director, screenwriter and author Pedro Almodóvar said that Europe must never “submit” to US President Donald Trump during the Cannes press conference for his new movie Bitter Christmas, which premiered to a six-and-a-half-minute standing ovation at the annual film festival on Tuesday.
Almodóvar, who wore a “Free Palestine” pin on the red carpet at the film’s gala premiere, received a rousing applause from the international press in attendance, according to a report by Variety.
The Spanish auteur, known for internationally acclaimed projects such as Pain and Glory, Volver and All About My Mother, was speaking about growing concerns over censorship in the US and France.
“I don’t want to judge anyone, but I think artists have to speak out about the situation in which they live in contemporary society. It’s a moral duty,” the 76-year-old director said.
“Silence and fear are symptoms that things are going badly. It’s a serious sign that democracy is crumbling. On the contrary, creators must speak out… the worst thing that could happen would be to remain silent or to be censored. We have a moral obligation to speak out,” he added.
In an earlier interview with the Los Angeles Times, Almodóvar also criticised the Oscars for being apolitical this year.
“You know, I’m not really blaming anyone in particular, but it was quite notable watching the Oscar telecast, where there were not many protests against the war or against Trump,” he said.
When asked by the Los Angeles Times whether he feared what speaking out could do to his career, Almodóvar replied, “Not at all.”
“I don’t have many fears. In a generalised Spanish sense, here we’re not afraid to call things what they are. We have a government that has called Gaza a genocide, and the Spanish people, in general, are not afraid to call these wars what they are,” he explained.