Pedro Almodóvar declared on the Cannes press convention for his new film, “Bitter Christmas,” that “Europe must never be subjected to Trump,” which earned a rousing applause from the worldwide press in attendance. The director was responding to a query about censorship issues given what’s happening within the U.S. underneath Trump and in France with controversy surrounding Canal+, whose head threatened a blacklist in opposition to artists who signed an open letter opposing the corporate’s major shareholder.
“This does effect us a lot,” Almodóvar mentioned of censorship issues earlier than urging artists to not succumb to such fears.
“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 director mentioned. “Silence and fear is a symptom that things are going badly. It’s a serious sign 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.”
Almodóvar urged his fellow artists “to act as a shield against this madness.” Forward of the pageant, the director referred to as out the Oscars for being blatantly apolitical this 12 months.
“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,” Almodóvar noticed to Los Angeles Times. “Maybe he wasn’t the only one, but the only real example I can remember came from a European, a friend of mine, Javier Bardem, who did directly say, “Free Palestine.’”
“People are obviously very frightened,” the director continued. “The U.S. is not a democracy right now. Some people say it’s maybe an imperfect democracy, but I really don’t think the U.S. is a democracy right now. The heartbreaking and ironic thing is that democracy has given rise, through the proper, right voting mechanism, to this kind of totalitarian regime. And it’s both a paradox and it’s also incredibly sad.”
Almodóvar is not any stranger to publicly bashing Trump. Again in 2025 whereas receiving the Chaplin Award at Lincoln Middle in New York Metropolis, he referred to the U.S. president by saying America was “ruled by a narcissistic authority, who doesn’t respect human rights.” He later mentioned Trump can be remembered as a “catastrophe.”
When requested by the Los Angeles Times if he fears what talking out might do to his profession, Almodóvar answered, “Not at all.”
“I don’t have many fears. In a generalized Spanish sense, here we’re not afraid to call things for 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 out for what they are,” he defined, including that “it’s easier for me to be clear” together with his beliefs as a result of he’s a foreigner and works exterior of Hollywood.
Almodóvar’s newest, “Bitter Christmas,” premiered to a 6.5-minute standing ovation in Cannes and is his eighth movie in competitors at Cannes. “All About My Mother” received him the very best director prize in 1999, whereas “Volver” earned him the very best screenplay award in 2006.
