The Venice Film Festival kick-started on Wednesday with a star-studded ceremony and a call from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky for the global community to "not forget about the war in Ukraine."
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Zelensky made an appearance via a video message that played during the Venice opening event.
He called on the global community to not forget about the war in Ukraine. "Your stance is strong... do not turn your back on Ukraine," he said, before names of civilians killed in the war scrolled across the screen.
Earlier in May 2022, Zelensky gave a powerful speech at the Cannes Film Festival as well.
During his speech, Zelensky referred to Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator and the role that film had in denouncing Hitler during World War II, Deadline reported. "The 1940 picture "didn't destroy the real dictator, but thanks to this film, cinema was not silent," he said.
The Ukraine president continued, "On February 24, Russia began a war of huge proportion against Ukraine with the intention of going further into Europe... Hundreds of people die every day. They are not going to get up after the end clap... Will cinema stay silent, or will it talk about it? If there is a dictator, if there is a war for freedom, again, it all depends on our unity. Can cinema stay out of this unity?... We need a new Chaplin who will prove that, in our time, cinema is not silent."
He added, "I say to everyone who hears me: do not despair; hatred will eventually disappear and dictators will die. We have to win this victory and we need cinema to ensure that this end is always on the side of freedom."
Earlier this year on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his decision to launch a "special military operation" in Ukraine, following which land, sea and air invasions began. Since then, the war has killed thousands, displaced millions and destroyed entire cities.
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