The Oscar winning auteur struck a pose with wife Daniella Tarantino, caught up with Leonardo DiCaprio and dropped the mic, literally, after declaring that the 2025 Cannes Film Festival is officially open.
News Arena Network - Cannes - UPDATED: May 14, 2025, 05:39 PM - 2 min read
Quentin Tarantino and Daniella Tarantino attend the opening ceremony at the 78th Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 13, 2025. Image: X
“It’s my honour to declare the 78th festival open!” Oscar winning auteur Quentin Tarantino shouted into the microphone as he turned up at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday night to attend the opening ceremony at the Grand Lumiére Theatre where he had official duties to proclaim the start of the 12-day event.
The filmmaker arrived to the famed red carpet with his wife, Daniella Tarantino, as festival officials closed foot traffic from fellow guests so that the couple could pose for photographers alone. The Tarantinos made the most of the opportunity as they soaked in the moment by canoodling, whispering in each other’s ears and striking multiple poses.
At the top of the stairs, Tarantino flashed the peace sign to a sea of fans as he greeted Cannes top brass Thierry Frémaux and Iris Knobloch.
The previous Palme d’Or winner’s participation during the ceremony came as a surprise to many as there was no prior official announcement from the festival officials.
The Grand Lumiére audience — comprised of Sean Baker, Samantha Quan, Eva Longoria, Bella Hadid, Heidi Klum, Marco Calvani, Julia Garner, Helen Hoehne, Rossy de Palma and more — seemed stoked to see Tarantino. He was greeted with a generous standing ovation on a night peppered with them for De Niro, DiCaprio and jury president Juliette Binoche.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Quentin Tarantino, Robert De Niro, Laurent Lafitte, Mylène Farmer and Jury President Juliette Binoche are seen onstage during the opening ceremony at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival.
Tarantino actually had a moment to catch up under the lights with his Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star DiCaprio. After he declared the opening of the fest and disappeared backstage with an amusing shuffle step, Tarantino re-emerged at center stage to join DiCaprio, DeNiro, Binoche, ceremony host Laurent Lafitte, performer Mylene Farmer and the jury members to pose for more photos and soak up the scene. No word yet on how Tarantino closed out his evening but we’re betting it had a cinematic ending.
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