Oscar-winning Spanish director Pedro Almodovar urged artists to speak out about the crises facing society on Wednesday (May 20), describing it as their moral duty against "monsters" like U.S. President Donald Trump.

"The creator, from their small platform, each from their own, must speak without mincing words," said Almodovar at the Cannes Film Festival after the premiere of his tragicomedy "Bitter Christmas."

"Silence and fear - because it is clearly an expression of fear - are a very bad sign; they are a sign of the erosion of democracy," said the director considered a defining figure of contemporary European cinema.

"We are obliged to become a kind of shield against these monsters like Trump, Netanyahu or the Russian," he said, referring to Israel's prime minister and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Trump must know that there is a limit to all his delusions and madness, and that Europe will never bow down to Trump's policies," he added.

The latest film from the director known for dark humor and melodrama stars Leonardo Sbaraglia as Raul, a filmmaker who starts borrowing details from the people in his life to write his new screenplay.

The story draws deeply from Almodovar's own creative journey as a director, he told journalists.

Almodovar, who is competing for the festival's Palme d'Or top prize for the sixth time, said that he would miss coming to Cannes once the day comes when he stops making films.

"But for now, I think I'm going to make one more film; I hope that I'll continue to find the inspiration for more," he said, adding that there will be more humor in the next one.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

CANNES, FRANCE (MAY 20, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. FILMMAKER PEDRO ALMODOVAR AND CAST OF "BITTER CHRISTMAS" ARRIVING FOR PRESS CONFERENCE

2. ALMODOVAR AND "BITTER CHRISTMAS" CAST MEMBERS AT PODIUM

3. JOURNALISTS APPLAUDING AND FILMING WITH PHONES

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FILMMAKER, PEDRO ALMODOVAR, ON HOW CURRENT POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT IS AFFECTING THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY, SAYING:

"Well, I believe it has a very negative effect on me particularly, without wanting to judge anyone, but I think that artists must speak out about the situation in which society finds itself, the society in which they live. I see it as a moral duty. I do not judge those who do not do so, but silence and fear - because it is clearly an expression of fear - are a very bad sign; they are a sign of the erosion of democracy. So I believe, on the contrary, that the creator, from their small platform, each from their own, must speak without mincing words; they must speak openly about the worst things happening to us, and such terrible things are happening to us every day that I, personally believe we are obliged to speak out about them and also, above all as Europeans, we are obliged to become a kind of shield against these monsters like Trump, Netanyahu or the Russian. We are obliged because here we do obey international law. In Europe there are laws, and so Trump must know that there is a limit to all his delusions and madness, and that Europe will never bow down to Trump’s policies."

5. CAST AND JOURNALISTS APPLAUDING

VARIOUS FILMING LOCATIONS (RECENT) (PATHE FILMS – Broadcast: must courtesy Pathe Films, editorial news use only, no commercial use, no archive, no resales. Digital: must courtesy Pathe Films, editorial news use only, no commercial use, no monetisation on social platforms, no archive, no resales.)

6. “BITTER CHRISTMAS“ TRAILER CLIP

CANNES, FRANCE (MAY 20, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

7. ACTOR LEONARDO SBARAGLIA AT PODIUM

8. JOURNALISTS

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FILMMAKER, PEDRO ALMODOVAR, SAYING:

"The film tells the story of a director’s creative journey, that is, someone who shares my passion and lives it with the same intensity that I do, because for me, directing isn’t just a job. I’m deeply passionate about it, and that’s why I don’t know how long that passion will last. So, well, Leonardo is, let’s say, my alter ego, not in a literal sense, because when we talk about autofiction, in my case at least, you shouldn’t take things absolutely literally because they’re never like that; they’re more complex and more intertwined with other elements. The director who represents me is, at the same time, writing about someone who represents him, and in this case the mirror is turned towards Barbara Lennie, who is also a director. She’s had two colossal failures and so she’s turned to advertising, but she’s also going through a panic attack that corresponds to the one I went through at the turn of the century, mixed up, with a headache—no, not just a headache, a migraine, and that makes the pain truly unbearable."

10. LENNIE LISTENING

11. JOURNALISTS

12. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FILMMAKER, PEDRO ALMODOVAR, SAYING:

"The creator is self-centred by nature and can sometimes be dangerous to those around them. There's a debate, a moral debate, that remains unresolved and depends entirely on the creator’s ethical sensibilities."

13. PRESS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

14. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FILMMAKER, PEDRO ALMODOVAR, SAYING:

"It’s true that the seven - I think it’s been seven - times that I’ve been here and my films have been screened at the Grand Palais represent an experience that has left a lasting mark on my life, and I know that the day I can no longer come - whether because I have no film, or because I’ve stopped making films, or for any other reason - I'll miss it terribly. I’ll feel a deep sense of nostalgia for this festival. But for now, I think I’m going to make one more film; I hope that I’ll continue to find the inspiration for more."

15. PRESS CONFERENCE ENDING

VARIOUS FILMING LOCATIONS (RECENT) (PATHE FILMS – Broadcast: must courtesy Pathe Films, editorial news use only, no commercial use, no archive, no resales. Digital: must courtesy Pathe Films, editorial news use only, no commercial use, no monetisation on social platforms, no archive, no resales.)

16. “BITTER CHRISTMAS“ TRAILER CLIP