JUST INâŚSpanish film directorâs blunt seven-word take-down of Donald Trump at CannesâŚFULL STORY Â
Spanish film director Pedro AlmodĂłvar spoke out against US President Donald Trump at Cannes Film Festival
The iconic filmmaker , 76, debuted his latest film, Bitter Christmas, at the notable French film festival. AlmodĂłvar had a press conference on Wednesday, May 20, for his new movie. During the press conference, he was asked about âHollywood being in crisis and Canal+ threatening creators.â The journalist was referring to the current controversy with Canal+, a French channel and media conglomerate, where the companyâs Chair and CEO Maxime Saada said they would not work with anyone who signed the petition against billionaire Vincent BollorĂŠ (a main shareholder of Canal +) accusing him of spearheading a far-right âcivilizational project.â
AlmodĂłvar took the moment to address the journalistâs question while also blasting Trump. Other creatives at Cannes have slammed Trump, specifically Javier Bardem who criticized him, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin for their âmale toxic behavior.â
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AlmodĂłvar began by first noting how censorship âdoes affect us a lotâ but urged artist to still raise their voices.
âI donât want to judge anyone, but I think artists have to speak out about the situation in which they live in contemporary society. Itâs a moral duty,â AlmodĂłvar said per Variety.
Pedro also slammed Trump last year when accepting the Chaplin Award in New York City
âSilence and fear is a symptom that things are going badly. Itâs 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,â he continued.
The screenwriter added, âEurope must never be subjected to Trump,â to which he received thunderous applause from the room of international press
This is not the first time AlmodĂłvar has publicly slammed the 79-year-old US president. In May 2025, he accepted the Chaplin Award at Lincoln Center in New York City and he said in his speech that he had doubted if it was âappropriateâ to come to America, which is âruled by a narcissistic authority, who doesnât respect human rights.â
Later in his speech, he asserted that Trump âwill go down in history as a catastrophe.â
AlmodĂłvar has never shied away from speaking his mind and talking about global issues. He even displayed a Free Palestine pin on his jacket at the Cannes press conference. In his recent interview with Los Angeles Times, AlmodĂłvar expressed that he doesnât âhave many fearsâ when it comes to speaking up.
AlmodĂłvar is not afraid to speak up about political issues
âI donât have many fears. In a generalized Spanish sense, here weâre 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,â he told the outlet.
AlmodĂłvar also acknowledged that itâs âeasier for me to be clearâ about his views in America because heâs a âforeignerâ and knows he can go back home to Spain.
Elsewhere in the interview, he brought up how apolitical the 2026 Oscarsâ broadcast was and noted the only âreal example he remembersâ is from his fellow Spaniard and friend, Javier Bardem, who said Free Palestine on the stage when presenting.
âPeople are obviously very frightened. The U.S. is not a democracy right now. Some people say itâs maybe an imperfect democracy, but I really donât 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 itâs both a paradox and itâs also incredibly sad,â AlmodĂłvar added.
Bitter Christmas premiered at Cannes on May 19 to a 6.5-minute standing ovation. The comedy-drama is AlmodĂłvarâs eight film that heâs showcased at Cannes. All About My Mother earned the author the Best Director award in 1999 and he won the Best Screenplay with Volver in 2006.
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