CANNES, FRANCE – As the 79th Cannes Film Festival unfolded, a powerful message emerged on the storied red carpet: age is not a barrier to beauty, relevance or creative power. It is an enhancement.

As veteran actresses graced the Croisette*, their presence and statements served as a collective act of resistance against an industry that has long marginalised older women.

Since the opening night at the Grand Théâtre Lumière on Tuesday 12 May, these women commanded attention.

Cinema as resistance

US actress Jane Fonda (88), who co-opened the festival alongside Chinese star Gong Li, set the tone with a rallying cry that reverberated throughout the 12-day event, ending on 23 May.

“I believe in the power of voices, voices on the screen, voices off the screen, and definitely voices on the street, especially now,” Fonda told the celebrity-studded audience at the opening ceremony, receiving thunderous applause.

“I believe that cinema has always been an act of resistance because we tell stories … stories that bring empathy to the marginalised, stories that allow us to feel across difference, stories that let us see that there is an alternative future that is possible,” she declared.

“So, let’s celebrate boldness, freedom, and the fierce act of creation.”

US actress Julianne Moore (65), who received the prestigious 2026 Kering Women in Motion Award, used her platform at the Carlton Cannes Hotel to address the urgent need for female representation in cinema.

“I’ve always believed that visibility matters, that the stories we choose to tell can widen the space for women, and for a richer diversity of voices, both on screen and behind the camera,” Moore said during the Women in Motion Talk.

Cannes President Iris Knobloch praised Moore’s four-decade career, noting that she “does not use cinema to reassure”. For 40 years, “she has chosen characters who destabilise, who suffer without resolution, who refuse easy sympathy, and in doing so, she has claimed territory on screen that did not exist before she walked into it.”

US actress and producer Demi Moore (63), serving as a jury member alongside South Korean director Park Chan-wook, warned against self-censorship in the arts.

“I think part of art is about expression, so if we start censoring ourselves, then we shut down the very core of our creativity, which is, I think, where we can discover truth and answers,” Moore said.

Red carpet royalty

The festival’s screenings showcased a who’s who of veteran talent.

British actress Joan Collins (94) turned heads at the opening ceremony screening of La Venus electrique (The Electric Kiss), proving that glamour knows no age limit.

French cinema legends Catherine Deneuve (82) and Isabelle Huppert (73) brought their inimitable elegance to multiple screenings, with Huppert attending the premiere of Histoires Paralleles (Parallel Tales) and Deneuve gracing the crowd at Gentle Monster.

Australian-US actress Cate Blanchett (57) commanded attention at the screening of Paper Tiger, where she was joined by Moore and Spanish actress Paz Vega (50).

US actress Andie MacDowell (68), who has been vocal about embracing her natural grey hair, arrived for the screening of Karma, embodying the festival’s spirit of authenticity and self-acceptance.

A powerful statement

The collective presence of these women – spanning ages 50 to 94 – sent an unmistakable message to an industry grappling with ageism and limited roles for older actresses.

Their sartorial choices ranged from classic elegance to daring contemporary designs, each “look” a testament to personal style that transcends age-based expectations.

From Collins’ timeless glamour to MacDowell’s silver-haired confidence, these women proved that the red carpet belongs to those who claim it with conviction.

The festival, held at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès on the Boulevard de la Croisette, has long been a platform for conversations about representation in cinema.

This year’s strong showing of veteran actresses – both in front of cameras and on juries – suggested a shift may finally be underway.

Their message was clear: women, like the finest wines from the regions surrounding Cannes, only improve with age – gaining depth, complexity and an irreplaceable richness that cannot be rushed or replicated.

*The Boulevard de la Croisette is a world-famous, palm-lined waterfront promenade of 2 kilometres in Cannes, France, and the home of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès (venue for the Cannes Film Festival).

SOURCES: Festival de Cannes, Kering, France 24, Variety, AFP

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