Director Justine Triet slams French government in viral Cannes moment

At the Cannes Film Festival, director Justine Triet delivered a passionate political speech that criticized the French government, making up for the festival's lack of protests and power outage.

Triet, who won the Palme d'Or, expressed solidarity with the protest movement against pension reform and condemned the government's suppression of the movement. She accused the "neo-liberal government" of promoting the commodification of culture and undermining the French cultural exception.

Triet dedicated her award to young directors and those who face obstacles in filmmaking, calling for more opportunities and support for emerging talent. Her comments alluded to discussions held last fall during an exhibition congress where some industry figures blamed French "auteur" cinema for the declining box office and called for a reduction in French film production.

The director's speech received mixed reactions, with France's Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak expressing surprise and defending the French model of film financing. Critics pointed out that Triet's film, "Anatomy of a Fall," received funding from the National Film Board and other sources, despite her criticism of the government.

"Anatomy of a Fall" is a feminist courtroom drama starring Sandra Hüller and revolves around a German novelist on trial for the murder of her husband. The film is expected to be a strong contender for France's submission to the international feature film category at the Oscars, despite featuring a significant amount of English dialogue. It was acquired by Neon following its well-received premiere at Cannes.