“In my country, we are fighting like hell for the democracy we once took for granted,” said De Niro to an audience including some of the biggest names in showbiz.

“It’s my honor to declare the 78th festival open!” Tarantino shouted into the microphone.

Binoche, the head of this year's jury, used her speech to pay tribute to Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza and is the subject of a documentary ...