Tom Cruise receives honorary Palme d'Or as Top Gun jets into Cannes

CANNES (France) • Hollywood actor Tom Cruise received an honorary Palme d'Or and gushed about his passion for cinema as he made his first visit in 30 years to the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday for the launch of Top Gun: Maverick.

The French Air Force display team streaked across the sky over the red carpet as the stars headed into the screening for the long-awaited sequel to Cruise's superstar-making 1986 blockbuster.

The movie was supposed to premiere at the French Riviera film fest back in 2020 before it was cancelled by the Covid-19 pandemic and the film's release was delayed multiple times.

Cruise, 59, was adamant it was worth waiting for cinemas to be back in full swing and said he never considered releasing Top Gun: Maverick via a streaming platform.

"That was not going to happen, ever," he told a Cannes audience in a talk ahead of the premiere. "I make movies for the big screen. Cinema is my love, my passion. I always go to movies when they come out. I'll put my cap on and sit in the audience with everyone."

Fans lined balconies and stood on roofs along the Cannes seafront to catch a glimpse of the stars, while others held up signs begging for a last-minute ticket to the screening.

Earlier, the festival's main competition got going with a movie from Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov, who has been forced into exile since the invasion of Ukraine.

His film, Tchaikovsky's Wife, is unlikely to improve his standing with the Kremlin, given that it shines a light on the legendary composer's homosexuality - a story that remains taboo for Russian conservatives.

"No to war," he said after the premiere. "I am totally convinced that culture and people of culture can help ensure that this war ends."

He added: "We need to tell ourselves that it will end one day and we will be able to live in peace."

Serebrennikov, 52, missed last year's Cannes festival because of a travel ban after being found guilty in 2020 of embezzling funds at Moscow's Gogol Centre theatre.

He was allowed to leave Russia only six weeks ago and now lives in Berlin, Germany.

Tchaikovsky's Wife is among 21 entries in the Cannes festival's main competition vying for the Palme d'Or and received a standing ovation at its official premiere at the festival.

The movie tells the story of the Russian composer's marriage to Antonina Miliukova which is doomed as soon as it becomes clear that Tchaikovsky, who is gay, has no interest in a relationship with her.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE