Jane Fonda delivers powerful speech at Cannes: ‘Cinema has always been an act of resistance’

CANNES, FRANCE:  Actress Jane Fonda joined actress Gong Li on stage at the opening ceremony of the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, May 12, delivering a speech about cinema, storytelling, and the power of resistance through art.

The Academy Award-winning actress officially helped launch the prestigious international film festival in a shimmery black dress while making her first public appearance since the death of her former husband, media mogul Ted Turner.

Jane Fonda delivers powerful speech on cinema and resistance at Cannes

During her speech, Fonda spoke about the importance of storytelling and the role cinema plays in society. “I believe in the power of voices. Voices on the screen, voices off the screen, and definitely voices in the street, especially now,” she said.

She described cinema as “an act of resistance” because stories shape civilization and create "empathy for marginalized people." She added that stories help people “feel across difference” and imagine “an alternative future that is possible.”

Standing beside Li, she said the Cannes Film Festival remains important because “story comes first” and “the courage to tell it comes first.” She ended her remarks by encouraging audiences to celebrate “audacity, freedom, and the fierce act of creation.” Her speech received loud applause from attendees.

Fonda has frequently spoken out on political and social issues. In March, she joined journalists, writers, and musicians outside Washington’s John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during a rally organized by her 'Committee for the First Amendment.'

The event urged Americans to “break your silence” and “stand tall against authoritarianism” amid concerns over free speech during President Donald Trump’s administration. At the rally, she criticized book bans, censorship, and cuts to arts funding.

Calling the Kennedy Center “a symbol of what is happening,” Fonda alleged that artists were being silenced after refusing to comply with ideological demands. She also criticized Trump’s suggestion that the venue might require extensive reconstruction, saying, “What’s he gonna do? Build another ballroom where he can dance and, like Nero, fiddle while his country burns?”

Jane Fonda remembers Ted Turner after his death

The outing came less than a week after Turner’s death on May 6 at the age of 87. The founder of CNN and Turner Broadcasting System had revealed in 2018 that he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. Fonda and Turner were married from 1991 until their divorce in 2001.

Turner was her third husband after Tom Hayden and Roger Vadim. Despite their split, she previously referred to Turner as her “favorite ex-husband.” Following his death, she posted a tribute on Instagram, writing that Turner “had a big life, a brilliant mind and a soaring sense of humor.” She added, “Ted Turner helped me believe in myself. He gave me confidence.”

Fonda also said Turner taught her about nature, wildlife, hunting, fishing, business, and strategy, writing, “Ted was supremely strategic.” Months before his death in November 2025, she became emotional while speaking at an event benefiting the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential (GCAPP), the organization the former couple had founded together.

Reflecting on Turner’s support, she told the audience that the charity would not have survived without him standing by her “with his love and support” during what she described as a “very challenging time in Georgia.”

“Ted's not here, but he is here in my heart, and I know he is here in a lot of our hearts,” Fonda said, concluding her remarks.