CANNES, May 20 — Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar called Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin “monsters” today at the Cannes Film Festival where he is presenting his latest film “Bitter Christmas” in competition.

“As Europeans, we are also obliged to become a kind of shield against these monsters like Trump, Netanyahu, or the Russian,” the director told a press conference, referring to the US, Russian and Israeli leaders.

An outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, the maker of “Talk to Her” and “Volver” wore a “Free Palestine” pin on his lapel.

Almodovar’s remarks echoed those of Spanish star actor Javier Bardem who slammed the “toxic masculinity” of the three leaders in an expletive-laden tirade on Sunday.

“Bitter Christmas”, which has had mixed reviews in Spain, is a highly personal project focused on a film director who is out of ideas and decides to steal stories from those close to him. — AFP