Demi Moore Discusses the Importance of Free Speech at Cannes Jury Press Conference
Demi Moore, a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival, emphasized the significance of expressing political viewpoints in the arts without fear of reprisal.
In response to concerns about the potential negative impact of political statements on films at the festival, Moore stated, “I would hope not. I think part of art is about expression, so if we start censoring ourselves then I think we shut down the very core of our creativity which is I think where we can discover truth and answers.”
Moore’s comments came during a jury press conference on the opening day of the Cannes Film Festival, following remarks made by Pedro Almodóvar, this year’s jury president, regarding democracy and free speech in the United States.
Almodóvar, who presented his film *Bitter Christmas* at Cannes, expressed his views to the LA Times, stating, “People are obviously very frightened. The U.S. is not a democracy right now. Some people say it’s maybe an imperfect democracy, but I really don’t think the U.S. is a democracy right now.”
During the press conference, Moore also discussed the role of artificial intelligence in Hollywood. “AI is here, and so to fight it is to, in a sense, to fight something that is a battle that we will lose. So to find ways in which we can work with it, I think, is a more valuable path,” she remarked. “Are we doing enough to protect ourselves? I don’t know. My inclination would be to say probably not.”
Cannes Jury Members, L to R: Demi Moore, Isaach de Bankolé, Laura Wandel, Stellan Skarsgård, Chloé Zhao, jury president Park Chan-wook, Ruth Negga, Diego Céspedes and Paul Laverty.
Moore highlighted the positive aspects of AI, noting, “There’s beautiful aspects of being able to utilize it, but the truth is, there really isn’t anything to fear, because what it can never replace is what true art comes from, which is not the physical. It comes from the soul. It comes from the spirit of each and every one of us sitting here, to each and every one of us that creates every day, and that they can never recreate.”
#CannesFilmFestival jury member Demi Moore on AI: “AI is here. To fight it, is a battle that we will lose. To find ways that we can work with it, I think is a more valuable path” pic.twitter.com/DjevYMxTIP
Reflecting on her appointment to the jury, Moore expressed her initial surprise: “My first thought is ‘Me?’ I had such a beautiful experience here a few years ago, and one, just to be surrounded by cinema and the love of cinema, and the joy of diving in and being surrounded by those who share that, just felt like a joy. I feel tremendously honored and super excited. I feel like a little kid playing a grown up.”
Cannes Festival head Thierry Frémaux also addressed the topic of political expression at the festival during the opening press conference, particularly in light of criticisms directed at Berlin jury president Wim Wenders. He stated, “I would like to pay tribute to Wim Wenders because I think he was subjected to criticisms that weren’t really justified. He wanted to say that the politics should be on the screen. That’s what we say at Cannes…the festival considers that political questions are primarily those of the artists’ voices and the voices of the artists whose work is being shown.”
Joining Moore on this year’s jury are Isaach de Bankolé, Laura Wandel, Stellan Skarsgård, Chloé Zhao, Ruth Negga, and Diego Céspedes, with Park Chan-wook serving as jury president.
Moore’s last appearance at Cannes was in 2024 for Coralie Fargeat’s *The Substance*. She first attended the festival in 1997 in support of her then-husband Bruce Willis’ film *The Fifth Element*.
