Pedro Almodóvar, the acclaimed Spanish director, has said that filmmakers have a “moral duty” to speak up about politics.
The two-time Oscar winner spoke out in criticism of US president Donald Trump during an appearance at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where he was promoting his new film Bitter Christmas.
“I don’t want to judge anyone, but I think artists have to speak out about the situation in which they live in contemporary society,” he said. “It’s a moral duty.”
open image in galleryThe 76-year-old also criticised Trump’s attacks on free speech, stating that European countries needed to avoid allowing similar forces into power. “Europe must never be subjected to Trump,” he said.
Almodóvar, who won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film (for 1999’s All About My Mother) and another for Best Original Screenplay (for 2002’s Talk to Her), is often regarded as Spain’s most prominent filmmaker on the international stage.
“Silence and fear is a symptom that things are going badly, it’s a serious sign democracy is crumbling,” he continued. “In Europe we have laws […] we have to act as a shield against this madness.”
Questions of politics have been a key talking point at recent film festivals. At the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, jury president and filmmaker Wim Wenders was asked about the German government’s “support of the genocide in Gaza” and the festival’s “selective treatment of human rights”, to which he responded that filmmakers “have to stay out of politics”.
“We are the counterweight of politics, we are the opposite of politics. We have to do the work of people, not the work of politicians,” he said.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
His remarks prompted a backlash from many actors whose films were shown at the festival. Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton, and Brian Cox were among 81 artists to sign an open letter addressed to festival organisers, questioning the “institutional silence on the genocide of Palestinians”.
Bardem also spoke about politics at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, while debuting his new film The Beloved.
open image in galleryBardem, who has been a vocal supporter of Palestine, told press that he feared retaliation over his activism.
“The fear does exist,” he said, as reported by Deadline. “Granted that one has to do things, even if you feel a bit scared or afraid. You have to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and look at yourself in the eyes, and that was my case. My mother taught me to be the way I am.”
He continued: “There is no B plan, no alternative, and this entails consequences, which I’m fully ready to shoulder. These consequences, well, I’ve heard about this, but as I said yesterday, I can’t corroborate things or provide facts or proofs. You have these denunciations.”
The Cannes Film Festival, held every year on the French Riviera, is often described as the most prestigious film festival in the world.
This year’s event began on 12 May, and runs until 23 May.