"It has been decided, unless the war of aggression ceases under conditions that will satisfy the Ukrainian people, not to welcome official delegations from Russia nor to accept the presence of any authority linked to the Russian government" , details the largest film festival in the world, which will be held this year from May 17 to 28.
"On the other hand, we want to salute the courage of all those who, in Russia, took the risk of protesting against the aggression and the invasion of Ukraine", continue the organizers, addressing the "artists". and "cinema professionals (...) who cannot be associated with these intolerable acts and those who are bombing Ukraine".
This is the first time that the Festival, which will be its 75th edition in the spring, has spoken about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The opportunity to recall that the very first Cannes edition was to take place in 1939 and to open on September 1, the date of the invasion of Poland by Germany: it was therefore canceled.
Two days later, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany, shedding plans for a film festival in the south of France for some time.
"Faithful to its history, which began in 1939 in resistance to the Fascist and Nazi dictatorships, the Cannes Film Festival will always be at the service of artists and film professionals, whose voice is raised to denounce violence, repression and injustices, and to defend peace and freedom", underlines the press release of the Festival.
© 2022 AFP