Actor Vin Diesel returned to Cannes this week for the 25th anniversary of “The Fast and the Furious” franchise and has used the opportunity to reflect on not just the franchise but cinema in general.
Penning an editorial piece for Variety, Diesel came to the defense of blockbuster filmmaking and cinema for mainstream audiences saying:
“Popular cinema, made with conviction and love, is not a lesser form of the art. It is the art in its most ancient and essential function, the story told to the whole community, the fire everyone gathers around.”
Diesel says films like the first “The Fast and the Furious,” which had a midnight revival screening at Cannes this year, “can still carry emotional depth and cultural significance”.
The screening of the 2001 blockbuster this week in France comes three decades after Diesel debuted his short film “Multi-Facial” at the fest back in 1995 which he cites as the beginning of his journey in filmmaking.
The next and seemingly final installment in the saga, “Fast Forever,” is expected to arrive in 2028.
