Cate Blanchett gives a voice to refugees in Cannes: “We have to make films about their stories” | United States | United States of America | Celebrities | Latest | Lights

actress Cate Blanchett She arrived in Cannes on Monday as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to give a voice to refugees around the world, from Gaza to the Republic of Congo, and demand that films be made about their “incredible and inspiring stories.”

Blanchett, who has been collaborating with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees since 2015, has traveled around the world to meet these people who have had to flee their homes. In recent months, he visited South Sudan, Jordan and Niger.

“When I started, in 2015, there were 60 million refugees and displaced people and now there are 140 million, which is a huge number.” Blanchett said in a discussion session held at the Cannes Film Festival headquarters, in which actress and singer Cynthia Erivo and Danish director Jonas Bohr Rasmussen also participated.

Blanchett said: It is a global crisis, and a global challenge, which should be in more films because cinema is a reflection of reality. Refugees' stories are not only about their difficult experiences, but about “their sense of humor and resilience. They are not monolithic.” “There are so many stories that could be told.”

In this regard, Erivo highlighted that she participated in the film “Drift” (2023), which revolves around a refugee woman who is forced to flee Liberia.

“I did it to tell some of those experiences and to show that it's not about saying she's a refugee, but it's also a young woman who falls in love, and she has to learn another language… the reason I did it.” I loved this story because my mother had a similar experience in Nigeria.

Erivo saw herself reflected in what the film said and remembered herself, when she was 15, when she faced the prejudices her family had to suffer in England. “If we don't tell their stories, we're saying their lives don't matter, and we have to start opening doors so all these truths become known.” The British actress added.

Stories that don't have to be told in a dramatic film. An example is “Escape”, an animated film by Rasmussen, which tells the life of one of his best friends.

“We always think we have to tell things in a condensed way, but for example, doing it with animation makes it easier for people to get into these issues.” said Blanchett, who also gave as an example a horror film from one of the platforms about Sudanese refugees settling in England.

“There are many ways to tell these stories.” The most important thing is “for them to be heard.” The Australian actress added.

In this regard, she noted that her interaction with refugees, as a white, middle-class woman, had completely changed her perspective. “I'm grateful for that.”

Cynthia Erivo added that she wants to “help” and so she will knock on “all necessary doors, without stopping, until that happens.”

With information from EFE

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