Ukraine Can Win War, Hollywood’s Liev Schreiber Says in Davos

Actor Liev Schreiber looks on during an interview at Ukraine House in Davos, Switzerland May 23, 2022. (Reuters)
Actor Liev Schreiber looks on during an interview at Ukraine House in Davos, Switzerland May 23, 2022. (Reuters)
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Ukraine Can Win War, Hollywood’s Liev Schreiber Says in Davos

Actor Liev Schreiber looks on during an interview at Ukraine House in Davos, Switzerland May 23, 2022. (Reuters)
Actor Liev Schreiber looks on during an interview at Ukraine House in Davos, Switzerland May 23, 2022. (Reuters)

Ukraine can win the war against Russia but it will be a long fight and the conflict must not be allowed to fade out of the news, Hollywood actor Liev Schreiber said on Monday in Davos.

"It's overwhelming how resilient the Ukrainian people are," Schreiber, whose grandfather was of Ukrainian and Polish descent, told Reuters TV on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.

The actor and director spoke after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed global business leaders in the Swiss resort, pressing countries to ratchet up sanctions against Russia as a warning to others considering using brute force.

The president's speech kicked off in earnest the four-day meeting that gathers some 2,000 business and economic leaders as well as experts, with Ukraine topping the agenda.

Schreiber, who made the 2005 movie "Everything is Illuminated" in Ukraine, is best known as protagonist of the series Ray Donovan. He said it was just "a matter of time" that Ukrainians were going to win but the conflict must be kept in the news.

"This could go on for some time and there's a danger of it fading from the news cycle ... and I think we have to remember that these people are in the fight of their lives right now for values and principles that we share, I think, as Europeans and Americans," he told Reuters TV.

"In terms of what's needed, support, financial support, strategy, reconstruction - all of these things are perfectly suited, I think to the World Economic Forum."



Future of Cinema Clouded by Uncertainty, Venice Jury Chief Huppert Says

 The 81st Venice Film Festival Jury member Isabelle Huppert poses during a photocall on the day of the opening ceremony of the 81st Venice Film Festival, Venice, Italy, August 28, 2024. (Reuters)
The 81st Venice Film Festival Jury member Isabelle Huppert poses during a photocall on the day of the opening ceremony of the 81st Venice Film Festival, Venice, Italy, August 28, 2024. (Reuters)
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Future of Cinema Clouded by Uncertainty, Venice Jury Chief Huppert Says

 The 81st Venice Film Festival Jury member Isabelle Huppert poses during a photocall on the day of the opening ceremony of the 81st Venice Film Festival, Venice, Italy, August 28, 2024. (Reuters)
The 81st Venice Film Festival Jury member Isabelle Huppert poses during a photocall on the day of the opening ceremony of the 81st Venice Film Festival, Venice, Italy, August 28, 2024. (Reuters)

Cinema has been weakened in recent years and its survival cannot be taken for granted, French actress Isabelle Huppert said on Wednesday as she took charge of the main jury at the Venice Film Festival.

The 11-day event draws together film-makers from around the world, giving them an invaluable opportunity to promote work that might otherwise not gain global prominence.

But beyond the Venice Lido's glamorous red carpet, movie veterans worry about the future of the industry: box office sales have not yet recovered from the COVID pandemic, raising questions about the long-term financial viability of movies.

"What concerns us all is that cinema continues to live on as much as possible. We know that it has been weakened in recent times," Huppert said at the traditional news conference to mark the start of the world's oldest film festival.

"I am not a director, I am only an actress, but we know what it represents in terms of courage, endurance, solitude, determination, to ... make a film," she added, saying her goal was to help cinema keep going "for as long as possible".

"But that's why a festival like Venice exists, it's like an ecosystem that is more necessary than ever to proclaim these values. So I'm really happy to be here," Huppert said.

Huppert, 71, has appeared in over 120 films and has won the best actress award twice at Venice, in 1988 and 1995. She and her family also run two small art house cinemas in Paris.

Global cinema box office takings are estimated to have hit almost $34 billion in 2023, according to data from Gower Street Analytics, an increase of 30.5% on 2022, but still 15% below average annual returns from 2017-2019, before COVID hit.

However, sales have declined again this year in the United States - the biggest movie market in the world, setting alarm bells ringing.

US director Debra Granik, who is the head of the jury for Venice's more experimental Horizons section this year, thanked Huppert for addressing the "elephant in the room".

"That's why we all showed up here because we want to see this art form thrive,” Granik said.

The Venice festival opens on Wednesday night with the world premiere of Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice", which is being shown out of competition. The event ends on Sept. 7 when Huppert will announce who has won the top Golden Lion award.