Zelensky, from Cannes to Sanremo: the Ukrainian leader and appearances in big shows. PHOTO

A career as an actor and filmmaker before becoming the president of Ukraine. With the outbreak of war in his country, triggered by the Russian invasion, Volodymir Zelensky has become a skilled communication strategist and never misses an opportunity to promote the Ukrainian cause abroad, even at the cost of bursting with his video messages in camouflage on the most important stages of show-biz

Zelensky at the Sanremo Festival. Amadeus: “It’s right that he’s in the final”

The next San Remo Festival will host a video message by Ukrainian President Zelensky on the final evening of Saturday 11 February: a couple of minutes that should be broadcast at the end of the singers’ competition. In recent days, the Ukrainian leader has revealed his desire to speak at the Festival in the interview granted to Bruno Vespa, a request that the presenter of Porta a porta has ‘passed over’ to Amadeus

Zelensky in Sanremo 2023, reactions and controversies: the positions from Salvini to Conte

The last foray was ai Golden Globes last January 11: a message delivered to Beverly Hills (“It is clear who will win”) also thanks to the intercession of Sean Penn, the actor who in vain tried to take him even to the Oscars

Zelensky at the Golden Globes: ‘There will be no third world war’

Just Sean Penn, faced with Hollywood’s denial, has donated the statuette to the president which he won on two occasions

War in Ukraine, Sean Penn in Kiev gives his Oscar to Zelensky

Zelensky fared better a Cannes. With a blitz the president of Ukraine has connected to the surprise opening ceremony of the last festival: “Cinema shouldn’t remain silent”

Cannes 2022, Zelensky at the opening ceremony: “Cinema must not remain silent”

“Hatred will eventually disappear and dictators will die,” she told the audience Croisette calling for the arrival of “a new Chaplin to prove that today’s cinema is not silent” and quoting Apocalypse Now (“I like the smell of napalm in the morning”)

Even earlier, in April, the Ukrainian leader had spoken at the Grammys with a recorded message: “Fill the silence with your music”

Grammy, video message from Zelensky: “Fill the silence of death with music”

At the end of August he landed virtually at Lido of Venice. The break-in occurred midway through the ceremony in the Great Hall of the Film Festival in the lagoon with a dramatic video message: the appeal with names, city of origin, city of martyrdom and age, one by one, of the 358 innocent victims to that date

Venice Film Festival, Zelensky: “Don’t remain silent, don’t leave us alone”

Wall raised, however, from football world. The request to share a message of peace before kick-off World Cup final it was rejected by Fifa. Zelensky had offered to appear in a video link with the fans in the stadium in Qatar and the no burned him: on a football pitch, he had commented, “the worst that can happen is a red card, not a red button. When people are united by football, people are united by peace”

Zelensky’s message for the Qatar 2022 final blocked by Fifa