Robert De Niro Slams Trump Over Arts Cuts and Film Tariff at Cannes Opening Night

The Oscar-winning legend urges global protest against Trump’s 100% film import tariff during his lifetime achievement award speech at the Cannes Film Festival.

CANNES, France, May 14 — Hollywood legend Robert De Niro didn’t hold back during the Cannes Film Festival’s glittering opening ceremony on Tuesday, using his lifetime achievement award speech to launch a scathing critique of former U.S. President Donald Trump and his proposed 100% tariff on foreign films.

De Niro, 81, stood alongside cinematic heavyweights including Halle Berry, Juliette Binoche, and Quentin Tarantino as he accepted the prestigious honor from longtime collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio at the Grand Theatre Lumière.

“Trump has cut funding and support to the arts, humanities and education. And now he’s announced a 100% tariff on films produced outside the U.S.,” said the Taxi Driver and Raging Bull star. “You can’t put a price on creativity, but apparently, you can put a tariff on it.”

The two-time Academy Award winner called on “everyone who cares about liberty” to raise their voices in protest, criticizing what he referred to as Trump’s “philistine policies” toward the creative community.

While Cannes organisers traditionally strive to keep politics off the red carpet, current global tensions have made it hard to separate art from reality. This year’s lineup includes films from conflict zones like Gaza, Ukraine, and Iran, with political undertones echoing through many premieres.

Juliette Binoche, serving as the head of the festival jury, used her own remarks to honor Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike and is featured in a documentary screening at the festival.

The opening ceremony also saw Quentin Tarantino, who launched his career at Cannes, officially declare the festival open with a signature mic drop, setting the stage for the premiere of Leave One Day, a French comedy.

Among the stars gracing the red carpet were Eva Longoria, Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda, and last year’s Palme d’Or winner Sean Baker (Anora). German supermodel Heidi Klum made a statement in a petal-inspired pink gown—just short of running afoul of Cannes’ newly enforced dress code banning nudity and oversized trains.

As the festival runs through May 24, it promises a heady mix of global storytelling and underlying sociopolitical dialogue—whether or not it’s officially on the program.