Cannes: Filmmakers hold 'sensitive content' boards over their faces to protest Russian war

The prestigious Cannes Film Festival kickstarted on May 17 and several filmmakers and actors have voiced their solidarity with Ukrainians in the midst of the Russian invasion. A group of Ukrainian filmmakers from the team of the film Butterly Vision by Ukrainian director Maksym Nakonechni demonstrated a powerful protest on the Cannes 2022 red carpet. They covered their faces with 'sensitive content' posters and held up a message for the people at the film festival.

Filmmakers protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine

At the Cannes 2022 red carpet, attendees suddenly heard sirens wailing as the Ukrainian filmmakers sounded them to replicate the air raids in Ukraine. They stood at the top of the red carpet at the Salle Debussy Theatre in Cannes, according to the New York Post and held  'sensitive content' posters over their faces. As per the publication, this was to portray the extent of Russian censorship. The group also held a banner with a powerful message. The banner read, "Russians kill Ukrainians. Do you find it offensive or disturbing to talk about this genocide?" Several producers of the Butterly Vision team including Darya Bassel and Yelizaveta Smit, and also actor Rita Burkovska joined the demonstration.

Topless woman protests against sexual violence in Ukraine

This is not the first time that Cannes 2022 has seen a protest against the Russian invasion. It was on May 20 that a woman was seen topless on the red carpet with her body painted in the colours of the Ukraine flag. She protested against the allegations of assaults at the hands of Russian soldiers that Ukrainian women are facing during the war. She wrote the words, "stop raping us" on her body and was soon surrounded by security personnel, who covered her up and carried her away from the red carpet.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a keynote address virtually as the festival began and quoted Charlie Chaplin's iconic line from The Great Dictator as he said, "The hate of men will pass and dictators die, and the power they took from people will return to the people. It is necessary for cinema not to be silent... It is necessary for cinematography not to be dumb. We need a new Chaplin who will demonstrate that the cinema of our time is not silent."

Image: Twitter/@world_news_ja