After a standing ovation and celebratory hug from Wood, Jackson talked about making Bad Taste on weekends over four years while working as a photo engraver in New Zealand. “If the film hadn’t sold well at the marketplace here, I would have gone back to New Zealand to my photo engraver job. Fortunately, it sold really well. It started my career.”

Jackson then talked about bringing Lord of the Rings footage to the festival when the franchise was under a lot of scrutiny in the press because the films’ studio, Warner Bros., was up for sale. “What goes around comes around,” joked Jackson to laughs from the crowd, referencing the ongoing sale of Warner Bros to Paramount Skydance owner David Ellison.

“We brought 20 minutes here in 2001 and did some press in a castle up in the hills,” remembered Jackson. “That gamble changed the perception of the film. By the time [Fellowship of the Ring] came out in December, there was an anticipation that wouldn’t have happened unless it was for Cannes.”

After Jackson closed his speech, he was greeted by another lengthy standing ovation. Gala ceremony host Eye Haïdara asked the filmmaker to stay at center stage for a special surprise. After a brief clip of Jackson’s Beatles documentary flashed on the big screen, French-Congolese singer and rapper Theodora and French singer-songwriter Oklou walked into the lights to perform “Get Back,” a rendition so rousing that it had Jackson bopping his head, clapping his hands and singing along to the lyrics (as was jury member Moore).

Jane Fonda and Gong Li then teamed up to officially declare the opening of the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, an honor typically handled by a solo presenter but this year a duo. “Jane comes from the West,” Gong stated. “And I come from the East. Tonight we stand together here. This is the magic of the Cannes Film Festival.”

She added, “Cinema goes beyond the languages, cultures and the generations. It speaks to what we all share — human emotions. Cinema allows us to meet and to connect. This is the power of the movies.”

Fonda then took the spotlight and nodded to the fractured political and social landscape. “I believe in the power of voices,” she said. “Voices on the screen, voices off the screen, and definitely voices in the street — especially now. Cinema has always been an act of resistance because we tell the stories and stories are what make a civilization, stories that bring empathy to the marginalized, stories that allow us to feel across differences.”

Fonda then put an exclamation point on the sentiment by stating, “Let’s celebrate audacity, freedom and the fierce act of creation.”

After a brief intermission, the celebration continued with the world premiere of Pierre Salvadori’s La Vénus électrique to help kick off the proceedings of the prestigious film festival, which this year has seemingly spooked Hollywood entirely. Naturally, The Hollywood Reporter took a deep dive into the social media pile-ons, eye-watering costs and string of high-profile misfires that have put major studios off a trip to the Palais.

Salvadori and the cast of La Vénus électrique took to the iconic steps before a screening. Set in 1920s Paris, it follows a young painter in vogue, Antoine Balestro, played by Pio Marmaï. He has been unable to paint since his wife died, much to the despair of his gallery owner, Armand. But one drunken evening, Antoine tries to contact his wife through a psychic, and unbeknownst to him, is actually speaking with Suzanne, a humble carnival worker. Soon, aided by Armand, she stages one fake séance after another.

Outside the building, fans flanked the red carpet, keen to catch a glimpse of Jackson, Salvadori and the La Vénus électrique cast, and a star-spangled competition jury that boasts Park Chan-wook, Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao, Stellan Skarsgård, Laura Wandel, Diego Céspedes, Isaach De Bankolé and Paul Laverty.

The inclusion of Hollywood names like Moore, Zhao and Skarsgard is bolstered only by the likes of Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller for James Gray’s Paper Tiger, Rami Malek for Ira Sachs’ The Man I Love, as well as Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve for Fjord. At least in the competition selection, anyway.

At the opening ceremony, President Park took to the stage for his speech and acknowledged the number of creatives employed by the films showing at Cannes, saying, “There are only 22 films but the number who worked on them are in the thousands. If we consider [their] families, it might even reach the ten thousands.”

He added of the jury: “I asked Paul if he fought a lot with Ken Loach when they worked together. He said ‘We argued a lot, but we didn’t fight.’ Our jurors will do the same.” He implored those in the audience to do the same — not fight with each other, but argue.

Other industry figures on hand at the opening night ceremony were Palme winner Bong Joon Ho, Diego Luna, Louis Garrel, Joan Collins, Heidi Klum and reality TV star Maura Higgins.

Over 40,000 film professionals from 140 countries have descended on the Côte d’Azur town to witness some of the brightest talent international cinema has to offer in action. THR‘s chief film critic David Rooney weighed in on his 10 must-see movies from the 2026 festival, such as the Sandra Hüller-starring Fatherland and Asghar Farhadi’s Parallel Tales, here.

The 79th annual Cannes Film Festival will run May 13-26.