The second week of Cannes is always quieter than the first, with fewer parties and many Hollywood executives heading home. Except for me. I’m still here. As are many directors and stars – and they have something to say!
Once again, a dispatch from the press conferences:
Sebastian Stan at the press conference for Fjord was asked about The Apprentice, eliciting nervous laughter from journalists:
“It’s just not a laughing matter, to be honest. It isn’t,” he said. “I think we’re in a really, really, bad place. And to be honest, when you’re looking at what’s happening – if we’re talking about the consolidation of the media, censorship, threats, the supposed lawsuits that seemingly never end but don’t actually go anywhere. You know, the writing was on the wall. We encountered all that with the movie.”
Director Pedro Almódovar wore a Free Palestine Pin At The Press Conference For His Film Bitter Christmas and Spoke About Trump:
“Europe must never be subjected to Trump,” he said. “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. Silence and fear is a sympton that things are going badly. It’s a serious sign democracy is crumbling. We have a moral obligation to speak out.”
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 20: Pedro Almodóvar poses during the “Amarga Navidad” (Bitter Christmas) photocall at the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 20, 2026 in Cannes, France. (Photo by JB Lacroix/FilmMagic)JB Lacroix
Director Andrey Zvyagintsev, At The Press Conference for Minotaur, Speaking About His Home Country of Russia:
“I left Russia 6 years ago,” he said. “But I spent about 60 years in the country. I know a lot about corruption. I know what I am talking about.”
