Zelensky Invokes ‘The Great Dictator’ in Cannes Speech: ‘The World Needs a New Chaplin’

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky made a special appearance during Cannes’ opening night.Zelensky gave an impassioned speech about the responsibility of filmmaking in the midst of war via a live video call from Kyiv.

Zelensky, who was a satirical actor and the voice of “Paddington” before being elected president, cited Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” among films necessary to reflect the contradictions of warfare.“The most brutal dictators of the 20th century loved cinema,” Zelensky said during his address, adding that most films made about those dictators were “horrific documentaries and newsreels.”“On February 24, Russia began a war of huge proportion against Ukraine with the intention of going further into Europe… Hundreds of people die every day.

They are not going to get up after the end,” Zelensky said.

“Will cinema stay silent, or will it talk about it? If there is a dictator, if there is a war for freedom,

Read full article