Spanish director Pedro Almodovar declared that “The U.S. is not a democracy right now” in an interview with the Los Angeles Times published ahead of the Cannes Film Festival, where his new film, “Bitter Christmas,” is competing in the main competition at the 79th annual festival in France.
“People are obviously very frightened,” the acclaimed Spanish filmmaker said. “The U.S. is not a democracy right now. Some people say it’s maybe an imperfect democracy, but I really don’t think the U.S. is a democracy right now. The heartbreaking and ironic thing is that democracy has given rise, through the proper, right voting mechanism, to this kind of totalitarian regime. And it’s both a paradox and it’s also incredibly sad.”
Mr. Almodovar, 76, also criticized the 2026 Oscars ceremony for what he described as a lack of political engagement from participants. “I’m not really blaming anyone in particular, but it was quite notable watching the Oscar telecast where there were not many protests against the war or against Trump,” he said.
He singled out Spanish actor Javier Bardem as the only notable exception, saying Mr. Bardem “did directly say, ’Free Palestine.’”
When asked whether speaking out posed any risk to his career, Mr. Almodovar said it did not, adding that his status as a foreigner provided him a degree of freedom. “In a generalized Spanish sense, here we’re not afraid to call things for what they are,” he told the Times. “I’m a foreigner. That makes it easier for me to be clear in the moment.”
The director also recalled accepting the Chaplin Award at Lincoln Center in New York last year, where he questioned whether it was appropriate to visit a country he described as “ruled by a narcissistic authority who doesn’t respect human rights.”
At the Cannes press conference for “Bitter Christmas,” Mr. Almodovar went further, declaring that “Europe must never be subjected to Trump” — remarks that drew applause from the international press in attendance, according to Variety. He also wore a “Free Palestine” pin at the event.
Mr. Almodovar is one of Spain’s most celebrated filmmakers, having won the Best Director prize at Cannes in 1999 for “All About My Mother” and the Best Screenplay prize in 2006 for “Volver.” “Bitter Christmas,” his eighth film in competition at Cannes, premiered to a 6.5-minute standing ovation.
This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times’ AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times’ original reporting, wire services, and/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
