Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or acceptance speech has caused quite the stir in France. It’s even made it all the way to Parliament debate.
In it, she denounced the reform of pensions and the threat that “ultra-liberalism” poses to French culture.
She added that current protests in France brought about repression and accused the Macron government of making neoliberal policies, encouraging new filmmakers to keep trying.
This led to a rather strange response from the Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak.
In what could only constitute a bewildering response, Malak said she was "flabbergasted by her speech, so unfair.” Malak then made the claim that Justine Triet's film “could never have seen the light of day” without the model of financing currently installed for French.
What are you complaining about? It's worse elsewhere and this system makes you live. I think it's ungrateful …
“Justine Triet pulled out her AK-49," tweeted former Cannes Festival president Gilles Jacob.
Triet’s highly political speech on the state and cinema has proved to be extremely divisive. However, the statement was strongly applauded by the audience attending the ceremony at the Lumière amphitheater.
Triet is the third woman to win the Palme d’Or. When Julia Ducournau won the prize for “Titane” in 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated her publicly over Twitter. He’s hasn’t said a word about Triet’s win.