Gong Li and Jane Fonda on stage during the opening ceremony and the screening of the film 'La Venus electrique' ('The Electric Kiss') Out of competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 12, 2026. GONZALO FUENTES / REUTERS
Celebrities from Demi Moore to The Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood headed up the red carpet for the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, May 12, where the impact of AI and the absence of Hollywood studios are major talking points.
The annual film extravaganza on the French Riviera was declared open by American cinema veteran Jane Fonda and Chinese star Gong Li at a star-studded ceremony attended by Black Panther actor Isaach De Bankole and Spider-Man star James Franco. Fonda, a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump and long-standing anti-war and women's rights campaigner, urged the industry to create films that serve as "an act of resistance."
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Eye Haïdara, master of ceremonies at the Cannes Film Festival: 'When you're on stage, you're in charge! You're untouchable'
