A Cannes Film Festival light on Hollywood but not lacking in star power kicks off in France

CANNES, France (AP) — The 79th Cannes Film Festival opened on Tuesday with politics, artificial intelligence and the shifting priorities of Hollywood taking center stage at the global film gathering.

Under sunny French Riviera skies, strong breezes gusted though the resort town as Cannes unfurled the red carpet to launch 12 days of nonstop premieres that will culminate May 23 with the presentation of the prestigious Palme d'Or.

Inside the Palais des Festivals, winds of change were likewise blowing. At the introduction of the jury that will decide the Palme d'Or, Cannes' top honor, jury members spoke bluntly about holding a film festival during a time of geopolitical conflict.

Paul Laverty, the Scottish screenwriter known for his films with director Ken Loach, pointed toward this year's Cannes poster, of “Thelma and Louise,” while discussing attending Cannes during what he called “genocide in Gaza.” Quoting “King Lear,” he said: “Madmen lead the blind.”

“Cannes has a wonderful poster,” said Laverty. “Isn’t it fascinating to see some of them like Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo blacklisted because of their views in opposing the murder of women and children in Gaza? Shame on Hollywood people who do that.”

The nine-member jury is being presided over by Park Chan-wook, the South Korean filmmaker of “Oldboy” and “No Other Choice,” who said that politics and cinema go hand in hand.

“Art and politics are not concepts that are in conflict with each other,” said Park. “One cannot disqualify a film on the pretext that it has a political message. Just as one cannot reject a film because it would not be political enough.”

Other jury members include Chloé Zhao, Stellan Skarsgård, Ruth Negga and Demi Moore, who two years ago was celebrated in Cannes for her comeback performance in “The Substance.”

Moore spoke about a topic that's already dominated conversation at this year's festival.

“AI is here, and so to fight it is to, in a sense, to fight something that is a battle that we will lose,” she said. “So to find ways in which we can work with it, I think, is a more valuable path,” she said. “Are we doing enough to protect ourselves? I don’t know. My inclination would be to say probably not.”

The festival will kick off on Tuesday night with the opening-night film, “The Electric Kiss,” a French period-comedy, and the awarding of an honorary Palme d’Or to the “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson.

What isn’t at Cannes has been as buzzed about as much as what is. Hollywood is largely absent this year.

While recent blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Elvis” have touched down at previous incarnations, studio films this year have been either scared away by the possibility of a rocky reception or by the high cost of flying in A-listers to the Cote d’Azur. The closest thing in Cannes' slate is an anniversary celebration for “Fast & Furious.”

Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux said Hollywood “is reshaping” in the midst of Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

“I hope the studio films will come back,” Frémaux told a press conference on Monday.

Cannes has become better known for its lengthy standing ovations than its boos.

This year, a long list of big-name filmmakers will have center stage. Among the filmmakers set to unveil new movies are Pedro Almodovar (“Bitter Christmas”), James Gray (“Paper Tiger”), Na Hong-jin (“Hope”), Pawel Pawlikowski (“Fatherland”) and Ryusuke Hamaguchi (“All of a Sudden”).

If Cannes has waned as a global launchpad for studio releases, it has grown as a breeding ground for Oscar contenders.

Two years ago, Sean Baker’s “Anora” won the Palme before winning best picture. Last year, Cannes selections like “Sentimental Value,” “The Secret Agent” and “It Was Just an Accident” went on to play prominent roles in awards season.

More often than not, the specialty distributor Neon has been at the forefront of the Cannes-to-Oscars pipeline. Neon has backed the past six Palme d’Or winners, an unprecedented streak that it may be poised to extend. The company is attached to more than a quarter of the 22 films in competition for the Palme d’Or.

While Cannes may be light on big Hollywood movies, it isn’t lacking in stars. Set to appear over the next two weeks are Kristen Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Adam Driver, Javier Bardem, Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Rami Malek, Sebastian Stan, Sandra Hüller and many others.

How much any of this will serve as backdrop for “The White Lotus” remains to be seen. The fourth season of Mike White’s acclaimed HBO series is based around a trip to Cannes. Last month, the show began shooting on the French Riviera.

Crew members install the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals ahead of the opening ceremony of the 79th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Jury member Demi Moore poses for photographers at the jury photo call at the 79th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Jury president Park Chan-wook, third from left, poses with jury members Ruth Negga, from left, Demi Moore and Chloé Zhao at the jury photo call at the 79th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Peter Jackson, recipient of the honorary Palme d'Or, poses for photographers during a photo call at the 79th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Jury member Demi Moore poses for photographers at the jury photo call at the 79th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A person walks past the Cannes film festival signage prior to the 79th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A view of the old town prior to the 79th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

People walk past the Palais des Festivals during preparations for the 79th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Hotel Martinez during preparations for the 79th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A person takes a photo outside the Palais des Festivals during preparations for the 79th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced tough questions Tuesday from Republican and Democratic lawmakers about the Trump administration's end game for the Iran war, the cost of the conflict and its impact on diminishing U.S. weapons stockpiles.

While the Pentagon chief softened his tone from hearings before Congress nearly two weeks ago, notably avoiding the same pointed criticism of lawmakers, he got far more pushback from members of his own Republican Party about the levels of the U.S. munitions used in the Iran war and President Donald Trump’s intense criticism of traditional allies, including NATO countries, for not taking part in the conflict.

“I take issue with the characterization that munitions are depleted in a public forum,” Hegseth told House lawmakers. “That’s not true.”

Even as he insisted that the U.S. military has plenty of missile defense systems and other munitions for the Iran war or future conflicts, Hegseth outlined the Trump administration’s efforts to ramp up production of weapons and other military capabilities in two hearings before Senate and House panels.

The cost of the Iran war has risen to about $29 billion, the vast bulk of which — $24 billion — is related to replacing and repairing munitions but also includes operational costs to keep forces deployed, Pentagon comptroller Jay Hurst told lawmakers. That's up from $25 billion that he told lawmakers nearly two weeks ago.

Hegseth faced notable pushback from Republicans on the Trump administration's straining of relations with longtime allies, with Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell telling Hegseth that “NATO is the most important military alliance in world history.”

“It seems to me that a lot of the European countries think that we’re reducing our influence there, they’re sort of on their own,” said McConnell, the GOP chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on defense.

Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, voiced his concerns in a separate hearing, saying that “America First has never meant American alone.”

“American power is most effective when it’s exercised in concert with like-minded nations who share our interests and our values,” Cole said.

The powerful House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees that oversee defense spending held back-to-back hearings to review the Trump administration’s 2027 military budget proposal, which calls for a historic allocation of $1.5 trillion. But the discussions quickly veered into the handling of a war that appears locked in a stalemate as higher fuel prices pose political problems for Republicans in the midterm congressional elections.

Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, told Hegseth that the "question must be answered at the end of this crisis: What have we accomplished and at what cost?”

“This administration has not presented Congress with any kind of clear or coherent strategy week to week, day to day, hour to hour," DeLauro said. "The rationale shifts, the objectives change. The end game is ill-defined when it is defined at all.”

California Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, the House subcommittee's chair, also asked about the impact of the Iran war on military funding as well as the U.S. military's weapons stockpiles.

“Questions persist about whether we are building the depth and reliance required for a high-end conflict,” Calvert said.

Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum, the defense subcommittee's ranking Democrat, pressed Hegseth on whether the military has a plan to draw down troops in the Middle East if Congress passes so-far-unsuccessful efforts to end the Iran war.

“We have a plan to escalate if necessary," Hegseth said. "We have a plan to retrograde if necessary. We have a plan to shift assets.”

He said he would not reveal any next steps publicly. Noting repeated questions from lawmakers over the military's weapons stockpiles, drawn down from the Iran war, Hegseth said the concerns have been “unhelpfully overstated” and that "we have plenty of what we need.”

He said the defense industry has been told to "build more and build faster,” blaming the military industrial base's inadequate capacity on previous administrations and U.S. aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies has painted an alarming picture of U.S. stockpiles of munitions, including interceptors that can defend against incoming enemy missiles on land and sea.

The think tank said in an April analysis that American forces “expended more than half of the prewar inventory” on four key weapons systems and that rebuilding to adequate levels for a possible war with China “will take additional time.”

Trump is facing increasing pressure from the economic shocks of Iran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping corridor where 20% of the world's oil normally flows. The U.S. military in turn has blockaded Iranian ports and the two sides have traded fire, with American forces thwarting attacks on their warships and disabling Tehran-linked oil tankers.

Trump said Monday that the ceasefire is on “massive life support” and criticized Iran for its latest proposal, pointing to his demands that Iran significantly limit its nuclear program.

“I would call it the weakest right now after reading that piece of garbage they sent us,” Trump said.

The Republican president also said he wanted to suspend the federal gas tax to help Americans shoulder surging fuel prices. He has previously said higher costs are worth it to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

Tuesday's hearings were giving a mostly new group of lawmakers the chance to grill or applaud Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the planning and execution of the war.

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Barrow reported from Atlanta.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., speaks at a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing for the Department of Defense with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and acting Under Secretary of Defense and Comptroller Jules Hurst III, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies at a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing for the Department of Defense, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine listens. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth watches as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine testifies at a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing for the Department of Defense, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine arrive to testify at a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing for the Department of Defense, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A protester interrupts as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives to testify at a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing for the Department of Defense, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., speaks at a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing for the Department of Defense with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Under Secretary of Defense and Comptroller Jules Hurst III, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., listens at a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing for the Department of Defense with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and acting Under Secretary of Defense and Comptroller Jules Hurst III, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine arrive to testify at a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing for the Department of Defense, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies at a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing for the Department of Defense, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth meets with South Korea's Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, during at the Pentagon on Monday, May 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)