(21 May 2024)
++CONTENT WARNING: SHOT 4 CONTAINS PROFANITY++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cannes, France – 21 May 2024
1. Wide of cast and crew of "The Apprentice" entering arriving at press conference
2. Pan of audience filming on smartphones
3. Wide of journalist asking question about threat of Donald Trump lawsuit, zoom in on Ali Abbasi, SOUNDBITE (English) Ali Abbasi, filmmaker:
"I mean, it’s with you. You’re the news, I’m the filmmaker, you know."
(Journalist: "Are you scared of that?")
"I mean, everybody talks about him suing a lot of people. They don’t talk about his success rate though, you know."
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ali Abbasi, filmmaker ++CONTAINS MULTIPLE PROFANITIES++
"Also, I think, if I was him, I would be sitting in New Jersey, Florida, or wherever he is now, or New York, and I would be thinking, ‘Oh, this crazy Iranian guy and some liberal c***s in Cannes, they gathered and they did this movie and it’s like f***ed up. And, you know, it’s like demeaning and it’s a conspiracy.’ But, as you say, I really think that… I don’t necessarily think that this is a movie that, you know, he would dislike. I don’t necessarily think he would like it. I think he would be surprised, you know, and I, you know, like I said before, I would be happy, I would offer to go and meet him wherever he wants and talk about the context of the movie, have a screening and have a chat afterwards. You know, if that’s interesting for anyone."
5. Close of Sebastian Stan
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sebastian Stan, actor:
"(addressing the press) What did you learn? So, I think that’s up to you guys, you know, to see the movie. I think that’s the hope we have, is that people watch the film, because I always feel like there is always something to learn. And I think for me, you know, as an actor and standing next to this brave artist that I respect and I will follow wherever he goes, with all these people that had enough balls to do this project. You know, that’s what we have to do. We have to kind of take on things that are risky and perhaps uncomfortable to talk about. But, you know, I think it’s important that we do, because, like Ali said last night, it’s in our face every day. And I think we need to have a perspective, or we need to just at least confront one another, hopefully in a peaceful way, about what what is happening and what we’re seeing. And I think there’s a lot to learn from the film."
7. Wide of press conference
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Ali Abbasi, filmmaker:
"You know, there was this very famous press conference with a compatriot of mine, Lars von Trier, here some years ago, and he was asked what he thought of something and somehow he ended up saying that he understands Adolf Hitler. And then it got worse and it got worse, and, you know, and nobody could save him. But there is some truth to that, you know, in as so far that these are all human beings. The most despicable monster you can think of, the most reprehensible person in history also liked a dog, or fell for someone, or was nice to somebody at some point, you know, and I think that for me, if there is an ideology for the movie, it’s a humanist ideology. It is about taking these people who are icons, who are hated, loved, down to earth and sort of deconstructing that mythological image into earthly human beings. With that comes understanding. With that comes sympathy. That doesn’t necessarily mean you forgive everything they did, but it comes understanding and sympathy. And I think that is, you know, if there is a cathartic mission for a movie, that would be it, I think."
9. Wide of press conference
11. Wide, end of press conference
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