CANNES (Reuters) – Swedish director Ruben Ostlund, who heads the jury awarding the Cannes Film Festival’s top award this year, expressed solidarity with striking Hollywood film and TV writers on Tuesday, saying industrial action was the only way to change work conditions.
“It’s great that people have a strong collegial feeling so you can go out and have a strike. That’s how you can change the conditions of your profession, so I’m like ‘yeah, go!'” said Ostlund, who won the Palme d’Or last year for “Triangle of Sadness,” a satire exploring economic inequality, as well as in 2017 for art world satire, “The Square.”
Actor Paul Dano, most recently of Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” said he was planning to get on the picket line as soon as he returned from the festival on the French Riviera.
“My wife is currently picketing with our 6-month-old strapped to her chest, and I will go be there with her on the picket line when I get home from here,” he said, eliciting applause.
Thousands of Hollywood film and television writers went on strike this month as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) called its first work stoppage in 15 years after failing to reach an agreement for higher pay from studios such as Walt Disney Co and Netflix Inc.
Top executives close to the discussions have told Reuters that the strike could continue into the summer and possibly beyond.
This year’s jury for the Palme d’Or top prize consists of:
-Ruben Ostlund, Swedish director and jury president
-Julia Ducournau, French director of “Titane”
-Damian Szifron, Argentinian director of “Wild Tales”
-Atiq Rahimi, French-Afghan director, writer known for “Blood and Ashes”
-Paul Dano, actor, known for “There Will Be Blood”
-Brie Larson, actor, known for “Captain Marvel”
-Rungano Nyoni, Zambian writer known for “I Am Not A Witch”
-Denis Menochet, French actor known for “Inglorious Basterds”
-Maryam Touzani, Moroccan director known for “The Blue Caftan”
(Reporting by Mindy Burrows; Writing by Miranda Murray; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
