 |
"Although for some people cinema means something superficial and glamorous, it is something else," the impassioned actress told a press conference.
"I think it is the mirror of the world. If we are gathered here because we have the same interests, because we have the same obsessions about the same thing, it is because we have the freedom to do that. When you live under the power of terror and segregation, you can't ever start a work of art."
Moreau said she supported the cancellation of film screenings on Tuesday -- including her own fest gala Cet Amour-la -- out of respect for the victims of terrorism, but welcomed the resumption of the festival yesterday.
"Why should we stop living because some people try to kill what is left of energy in ourselves?" Moreau asked in defiance.
The 73-year-old Moreau, who said she knows of devastation and terror, having lived as a child through World War II, was among a handful of celebrities who showed up at press conferences in support of their films yesterday, but used their time in the spotlight to rage against terrorism.
Among others was bombastic Irishman Richard Harris, joining his director Don Boyd for a press conference on their gangster movie My Kingdom, and American-based Englishman Mike Figgis, who was here with Hotel. Some of Figgis' star actors, such as Salma Hayek and David Schwimmer, decided not to appear because, according to Figgis, they worried that it might appear "frivolous" for them to do so in this situation.
"They felt as a mark of respect that they didn't want to do that, which I entirely endorse," Figgis said of his actors joining him. "I had reservations myself."
Figgis said later: "It is quite difficult for actors to be on a stage answering questions in the best of circumstances and I think that they were very concerned not to be in a situation of any kind of frivolity. I think they're devastated and didn't want to put themselves in that position."
One other filmmaker took a different approach. As a gesture of support for terrorist victims, Cuban-born American Leon Ichaso withdrew his film Pinero from the festival. He and his star actor, Benjamin Bratt, also cancelled all personal appearances and interviews for the film.
Film fest director Piers Handling said he has no objection to Ichaso's decision yesterday. "If a filmmaker doesn't want to have his film shown here, there is no way we're going to insist on that. We will completely and totally honour his wishes."
Harris said his film My Kingdom, which is a modern gangster version of Shakespeare's King Lear, is a great film which sadly is now irrelevant because of the events in the U.S.
"With all due respect, it has put this festival and it has put My Kingdom into a sort of nothingness. It has diminished into oblivion in comparison to what has happened in the past two days," Harris said. "We are utterly unimportant."
Harris, however, said he hopes that the U.S. and other countries retaliate quickly and strongly with extreme force.
"It's tragic," he said of the situation. "I come from a country where it's quite a common occurance but it's tragic. I hope there is no great debate among nations about how you're going to deal with it. There is only one way to deal with it, I'm afraid."
While freely offering his own opinion, Harris also said that the world should ignore actors because their opinions are useless. "I hope we don't have a whole new generation of Jane Fondas," he said of the possibility that actors will become more political and outspoken after these acts of terrorism. "Shut up! Let the politicians deal with it."
At his press conference, Figgis said presenting his film and showing up to talk about it was welcome, if strange, respite from watching television in the past two days. Like most fest-goers, he has spent hours in front of a TV set in his hotel room watching the coverage from the United States.
Behind the scenes, filmmakers, actors, festival officials and media have been getting together to share grief, trade stories and establish a sense of community.
The phenomenon of togetherness has created an air of optimism in him, says festival regular Jeff Dowd, a film sales agent whose own life was immortalized in the film The Big Lebowski.
"If the world was run by the people who run this festival, and by the people who attend this festival," Dowd said, "with their level of intellectual power and their attitude towards humanity, then events such as this horrendous terrorist attack might never happen. That is because the level of discourse about the world would be elevated and perhaps more problems be solved before they reach this level of crisis."