The festival opening ceremony started with a minute of silence as Mayor Bernard Brochand called the audience to commemorate the victims of two Russian air crashes.
Alexander Sokolov, Russia's Minister of Culture and Mass Communication, next took the floor to thank for the condolence. "We are grateful for your compassion to our bereavement," he said.
The minister pointed out a long-established affinity of the two national cultures. "We are one in the sphere of culture and spirituality. This Franco-Russian festival is our common cause, which we both cherish. The day will come soon, I hope, when one hears a reference to the Cannes festival to ask, 'Just which do you mean-the movies or Russian art?'
"We always make it a point to offer in Cannes what we take our greatest pride in. The company under legendary Igor Moiseyev is our gem, with top-notch dancing and a unique synthesis of the whole world's folk dance," said the Culture Minister.
This festival day is dedicated to the Russian cinema.
