Curtain up Thursday evening on the 73rd edition of the Berlin International Film Festival. Some 300 films will be screened over ten days, including 19 in competition for the prestigious Golden Bear. International stars were present, including American actress Kristen Stewart, who chairs the Berlinale jury. But it was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who created the event.
with our special correspondent in Berlin, Sophie Torlotin
Anne HathawayKristen Stewart Golshifteh Farahani or even Peter Dinklage, the stars animated the red carpet of the Berlinale Palace… But the one who got the whole room up was another comedian who became a warlord.
President Volodymyr Zelensky appears in video from his office in the Ukrainian capital. ” Of course, cinema cannot change the world. But he can influence and inspire those who can change the world, launched the president… Russia wants to build the same type of wall in Ukraine. A wall between us and Europe, so that Ukraine cannot make its own choices. A wall between freedom and slavery, between the right to live and missile attacks, between progress and the ruins Russia leaves behind. A wall between civilization and tyranny.
Today, Ukraine is the fortress of the free world. A fortress which has been resisting for almost a year, a fortress which is fighting for its survival, but also for Europe and the world, a fortress which must not fall and which will hold firm until the end. We will win, and I know you will be convinced of this when you see the movie Superpower, the superpower of Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine “.
Volodymyr Zelensky, who had similarly spoken at the opening ceremonies of the Cannes and Venice festivals, had a particular reason for appearing in Berlin: the out-of-competition presentation of the documentary, Superpower, directed by Sean Penn. The American director was in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the day of the Russian invasion. ” Originally, the film was to show how a comic actor becomes president. But it suddenly turned into something very different. »
► Read also : The war in Ukraine filmed by American actor Sean Penn
Sean Penn, visibly very moved, wore a blue and yellow badge, the colors of Ukraine, on the lapel of his jacket. Colors that also adorn the Berlinale bear this year. A festival which, in keeping with its very political DNA, also celebrates the struggle of the Iranian people.