Robert De Niro unveiled the first teaser for a new documentary he’s making about his late father during a Cannes Film Festival conversation on Wednesday.
The discussion was moderated by the French visual artist JR, who De Niro is working on the film with. “We’re kind of seeing where we’re going,” the 81-year-old said about the project. “I don’t know where we’ll go. There’s no time limit, as far as I’m concerned. You just do it and wherever it arrives or winds up, that’s OK.”
The clip featured stunning blown-up photos of De Niro’s father, a painter who died in 1993, placed around New York City — including on a boat in the harbor — as well as an appearance by Martin Scorsese. Though many of De Niro’s answers to JR’s questions about the film were painfully short, the teaser saw him opening up more about his own journey with fatherhood as well as his mortality.
“Ultimately, it would be something that only time can make it more special,” De Niro said in the teaser. “It’s not essential that I see the final thing.” When asked if he was afraid of death, De Niro said: “I don’t have a choice, so you might as well not be afraid of it.”
During the conversation, De Niro said he isn’t sure exactly when the film will come out and that production may continue even after his death. “So once I’m not even around, he’s just going to be shooting on and on forever, asking me questions when I’m in my coffin,” he said.
Beyond Scorsese, JR said Leonardo DiCaprio, who presented De Niro his Cannes honorary Palme d’Or on Tuesday night, is also in the project. During the opening ceremony, DiCaprio said of De Niro: “That’s the thing about Bob: he doesn’t say much, but when he does, it matters. Whether it’s for his friends, his family, fighting for democracy or supporting the art of filmmaking — he shows up.”
De Niro then delivered a fiery speech railing against U.S. President Donald Trump, calling him a “philistine president” and declaring him an enemy of the arts. “In my country, we’re fighting like hell for the democracy we once took for granted. And that affects all of us here because the arts are democratic,” De Niro said. “Art is inclusive. It brings people together, like tonight. Art looks for truth, art embraces diversity and that’s why art is a threat — that’s why we are a threat — to autocrats and fascists.”
The legendary actor then turned to Trump’s proposed 100% tariff on all films produced outside of the U.S., which was announced just over a week before the festival. “Let that sink in for a minute,” he said. “You can’t put a price on creativity, but apparently you can put a tariff on it.”
He continued, “Of course, this is unacceptable. All these attacks are unacceptable, and this isn’t just an American problem. It’s a global one. And like a film, we can’t just all sit back and watch. We have to act now. Without violence, but with great passion and determination. It’s time for everyone who cares about liberty to organize, to protest, and when there are elections, of course to vote. Tonight, and for the next 11 days, we show our strength and commitment by celebrating art in this glorious festival.
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