>> welcome to live from paris. these are the headlines. a russian soldier these guilty to a war crime charge. the 21 year old faces a life senten for shooting to death a 62-year-old civilian on the fourth day of the russian invasion. a court rejects the request by a french cement firm to dismiss charges of complicity and charges of crimes against humanity and endangering lives. two groups including the islamic

state group to keep a factory running after the conflict broke out in 2011. tom cruise took their breath away at the cannes film festival. the a lister was on the red carpet for his movie top gun: maverick. this is live from paris. ♪ mark: thank you very much for being with us. a russian soldier pleaded guilty this wednesday to killing ukrainian civilian in the opening stages of moscow's invasion during the first war crimes trial held since the war in ukraine began. the 21-year-old conscript from siberia said he was ordered to fire at the 62-year-old man by his superior. he faces life in prison. the hearing is the first in a

series of proceedgs being brought by ukraine agast russn servicen who have been accused of carrying out atrocities by western allies. also it's a public tes of the civil system, simultaneously investigating abuses allegedly committed by russian forces. >> do you know what you are accused of? >> yes. >> do you plead guilty? >> yes. >> do you agree to testify? >> yes, i agree to testify. reporter: he pleaded guilty and then the prosecutor said that they wanted to hear one of the victims. there are several victims in the village apparently and you saw one of them. what makes the case different from other war crimes investigations, where prosecutors and police are saying they have great

difficulty finding witnesses. so many people were hiding in their basements and didn't see. so the prosecutor wants to hear a witness, perhaps more because they want to hear the pub -- want the public to hear the witness. they also want to question the wife of the victim, a 62 year old man in the village. so the case continues for those reasons, but it was suspended today to be put off to tomorrow in order simply to be held in a bigger courtroom. they said explicitly the reason was because there were so many journalists, they had to be into separate rooms and watching the proceedings on tv transmissions were far from ideal. because ukraine very much wants the world to see that this phase is being conducted properly, it is important to have full access. that was the reason for the case being adjourned until tomorrow. mark: our correspondent in kyiv

following case there. let's bring in a professor at the washington college of law specializing in international law. thanks for being here with us on "france 24." how important is it that justice is not just done but seemed to be done, and seem to be done fairly? >> both are very important. i have been struck by how important it is to the ukraine government that atrocities, as well as the invasion itself be addressed to a framework of law that the government of ukraine has, as you indicated, had recourse to a number of international courts, but also it has been very actively investigating war crimes in real time, despite the fact that it is under assault. so accountability is clearly very important to this government. and i expect it is important to many victims in ukraine.

it is also very striking to me how important how much emphasis the government has placed on having fair proceedings, which is difficult to do in the battle, but the government has been advised by international prosecutors with a lot of experience in international standards, and i understand it is trying to ensure that its proceedings are fair and up to the highest standards of fairness. mark: that is the fear, i suppose, that there is so much emotion and anger invested in what is happening right now on every level. it's hard to see this soldier, whether he is right or wrong, whether he did it or didn't do it, it's hard to imagine he is going to get a fair trial. what do you think? >> as i mentioned, there are a

lot of international observers and mentors to ukrainian prosecutors, and that's a safety rail in itself. it is typical in international practice that where there are concerns about fairness, that international monitors are sent. these advisors are not the same as monitors, but they can provide and i think will provide a check against unfair proceedings. the fact that they are publicized is an additional check on that. i think the world will be watching very carefully to ensure that they are fair. mark: as you say, parallel investigations are going on. this is the first case of its kind, kicking off a whole process. a prosecutor has posted online saying there are over 11,000 cases of war crimes. it's been mentioned previously

by as high up as volodymyr zelenskyy, that there should be some kind of tribunal to investigate these crimes. diane: first of -- first of all, as you noted, the international criminal court is investigating atrocities in ukraine. it has jurisdiction over war crimes and crimes against humanity, and potentially genocide committed in ukraine. so there is an international tribunal. the prosecutor of the international criminal court went to ukraine in the last few days and has a fairly substantial team of -- of investigators working with him. the government of ukraine is cooperating with that. mark: so it is safe in the hands of the prosecutor who has been to ukraine and has been to bucha and seen the scale of what

happened there. working closely with the ukrainian people to try to ensure that justice is done. going forward, does the recognition of russia play a role in this? russia almost washing its hands of any kind of responsibility. diane: well, russia does not accept the jurisdiction of the international criminal court. but legally, it is subject to the jurisdiction or its nationals are subject to the jurisdiction of this court for atrocities committed in ukraine. so if custody is possible over makes that a strong compelling case, there will be trials before the international criminal court in the hague. mark: diane, thank you very much for joining us. we appreciate that insight you've given us into what is happening and what will continue

happening starting in this courtroom in kyiv. with all the other cases that are to be investigated. thank you very much indeed. >> my pleasure. mark: staying with ukraine, the situation at the steelworks remains a great concern, as russia says 959 ukrainian soldiers have surrendered since monday. there is word that there are still over 1000 still inside. the site had been bombarded for 18 days by russians. the conditions inside for soldiers and civilians who were under fire at that time have been described by one of them as hell. the european union's executive arm has given a boost to plans for the 27 nation property abandon russian energy.

a 300 billion euro package would include more efficient use of fuels, the overreliance of some of the e.u. has been exposed by the russian invasion of ukraine. finland and sweden handed in their bids to join nato after russia's invasion of ukraine, upending decades of military neutrality. turkey raised objections. ambassadors meeting in brussels failed to reach consensus on starting negotiations. with a promise the process would be swift and smooth, but turkey will have to be calm before the ratification can take place. here is more on why turkey objects to sweden and finland taking nato membership. >> this follows years of deteriorating relations between turkey and the west under

president erdogan who has pursued an increasingly aggressive policy toward western countries. there are many people who question what turkey is still doing in nato. many believe it is kind of a cold war relic and doesn't really reflect modern geopolitical realities. so this kind of obstructionism is only going to increase those arguments. that being said, there is no question that turkey can veto the succession. it requires unanimous consent of all nato countries, so everyone is in a powerful position here. the thinking is he is using this opportunity to go after several individuals who have been granted asylum in sweden who he believes are related to a kurdish separatist group that he has cracked down on immensely at home. so the context of this is both geopolitical, because it reflects increasingly bad

relations between turkey and the west, and also domestic. the economy in turkey is in tatters the turkish currency is in freefall and erdogan has an election coming up. he likes to pick fights with the west to show he is standing up for turkey. so it may also be for domestic political consumption because it certainly doesn't seem to be an actual objection to the geopolitics of finland and sweden joining. he's not saying that it might antagonize russia or that it isn't the right time for expansion. many western countries see the issue as being unrelated. of course turkey says that nato should be more helpful in their fight against what they perceive as terrorists. they have long held that the west has not help them in their fight with the kurds. so it is also about turkey wanting to send a message to other nato members, particularly the united states, who has also

refused to extradite people that erdogan has said is involved in terrorist activities. mark: that objection by turkey to sweden and finland joining nato. it's not because of the threat they feel that russia poses in the wake of its invasion of ukraine. we will watch for new developments on that story and all aspects of the conflict in ukraine throughout this program. next, lafarge has lost an appeal against agreements i could be prosecuted for complicity in crimes against humanity. the cement maker previously admitted that its subsidiary paid arms group to help protect staff at the plants. it has resist -- rejected certain charges against it as part of a french investigation that concluded it was complicit in crimes against humanity. this included the islamic state

group. >> a decision hailed by human rights groups. a paris appeals court concluded the charges should be upheld against lafarge, the first french company to face such charges. in early 2012, the syrian conflict intensified in the countries north and many french factories decided to close. but lafarge wanted to keep a cement factory up and running. the company establish contact with several armed organizations operating in the region, including the islamic state group. prosecutors accuse them of funneling at least 13 million euros to jihadist fighters in exchange for the free movement of its personnel and equipment. uncovered in the summer of 2016 valve -- by a group of journalists, the investigation sparked a major scandal. later that same year, the french economy industry launched a

preliminary investigation of the company. in april 2017, the scandal forced the resignation of ceo eric o olson, and to munch -- to months later there was a probe into suspicion that it financed terrorism. eight executives were placed under investigation. a year later, lafarge was indicted on multiple charges including endangering the rights of others and violating a trade embargo. the company appealed the charges and partially succeeded. in 2019, the court of appeals dropped the most serious charge of crimes against humanity but to help the -- upheld the other indictments. lafarge has acknowledged that it paid middlemen to negotiate with armed groups, but lames it was in the dark about any connection those groups may have had to terrorism. in 20 21, the highest court in

france invalidated -- today the debate has once again return to the forefront. a paris appeals court confirmed they must face the most serious charges. the cement giant disputes the accusations and is ready to appeal their case once more. mark: we will be watching for development on that story and the implication during -- in syria during the conflict. the former king left his homeland amid allegations of a scandal. there were three separate investigations that were shelved due to insufficient evidence. one carlos first abdicated the throne in 2014. allowing his son to take over.

stay with us, we have a special program on the cannes film festival up next. ♪ >> hello, thanks for joining me on the french riviera. arguably the most famous upstart in the world is back in camp. tom cruise brings with him the blockbuster top gun, maverick. it's a sequel to his film that propelled him to global fame as a hotshot pilot.

cruising into the cannes film festival 36 years after his breakthrough role, a star who needs no introduction is back for the second installment of top gun, and for his fans, it has been worth the wait. they've been asking for this film for decades. so i want them to enjoy it and just have a great time at the movies. >> i love it, i'm really a fan of the film. it's my favorite tom cruise film. >> the speed of the planes is quite exhilarating. >> we had a son who was obsessed with it. he became a pilot in the air force because of it. >> the fast-paced action sequel sees tom cruise return as hotshot pilot maverick, now an instructor at the elite school. while it features its share of throwbacks and nostalgic moments, the movie largely

centers around a group of young, aspiring pilots. it has spectacular flight sequences, stunning cgi effects and cutting edge photography. and there is ■always--as always, tom cruise performs his own stunts, all captured by six cameras placed inside the clock it. >> you can't that, the distortion in the face. >> to help launch the films festival showcase, a flyby was executed, the fitting tribute to the films dizzying acrobatics. tom cruise's 40 year career includes the mission impossible franchise, jeremy choir -- jerry maguire and rain man. the filmmaker also has an incredible number of films to his name, including when harry met sally, and stand by me. rob reiner is here as this is

spinal tap is being screened here on the beach. rob reiner, hello. you are here in canne with this is spinal tap, which first came out in 1984. it was your very first film. i think it was the first mockumentary. >> well, it was the first rock 'n' roll mockumentary. my friend albert brooks made a film called real life, it was a satire of a real family. >> in the beginning, no one got it, did they? >> no. when we first previewed the film, it was in dallas, texas. people came up to me and said, i don't understand what this is. why would you make a movie about a band that nobody has ever heard of, and one that is so

bad. i wouldn't you make a movie about the beatles or the rolling stones? it was a satire. they didn't get it. it took a long, long time for people to catch up with it, and now they get it. and now it's at the international film festival. >> get ready. get set. >> ladies and gentlemen, this is spinal tap. >> did you despair at first? >> well, yeah. you think you're making something you think is funny, and people don't get it. but then eventually they catch on tit. when we were making the film, the guy who shot it, the reason we picked him is because he had shot all these rock 'n' roll documentaries. he was familiar with it. the whole time we were making the film, he kept saying to me,

i don't get it. what is funny about this? this is -- this is exactly what they do. what are you doing? i said it is a little tilted. >> you went on to have one of the longest and most golden runs in history, your first seven films are all classics. spinal tap, stand by me, that still means a lot to you, doesn't it? >> stand by me was then and is now the most important film for me, because it was the first time i made a film that really reflect did my sensibility and my personality. it had a combination of melancholy, nostalgia, drama, and it had a lot of humor to it. it was the music that i grew up with. i thought if anybody accepts this movie, then i will be ok. when it became successful, i

went, ok, now i can do the kinds of things i want to do. because i like blending humor and drama together. >> he certainly did do the things she wanted to do. then came princess bride. a lot of directors had already tried to make it an had failed to get it off the ground, including robert redford. how did you do it? >> when you are young and dumb and you don't know any better. i had read the book when i was in my early 20's. i loved it, and i thought, wow, this is like somebody wrote something for me. it struck my sensibility perfectly, because it did have humor and romance and adventure. i called up william goldman, and he said, what have you done? he had seen spinal tap, so he knew that. i sent him a rough cut of the sure thing, and he agreed to have a meeting with me. so i go to william goldman's

house in new york city. he opens the door, and the first words out of his mouth were, this is my favorite thing i've ever written. i want this on my tombstone. and basically, what are you going to do with it? i told him the things i wanted to do, and he eventually agreed to let me do it. >> the next movie was the all-time classic, when harry met sally. the fake orgasm scene is one of the funniest of all time. >> i'll have what she's having. >> and it was your mom who said that. >> it is my mother who had that line. i'll have what she's having. it was a line written by billy crystal. when my mom came to do it, i said we have a funny scene here

mom, and i think it's going to be ok, but you have the last line. if it doesn't top the scene, i may have to cut it. she said that's ok, i don't mind, i'm at the deli, i'll eat something. it became one of the most quoted lines in movie history. you see these lists of these great lines. like, frankly, my dear, i don't give a damn, humphrey bogart. there's clark gable, humphrey bogart, and then there's estelle reiner in with that group, and he gives me >>. sometimes i bury it a little bit. -- very it'll little bit. >> which part? >> what i'm wearing.

>> you can handle the truth, that is aaron sorkin. you hear that all the time. i went to dinner once with nora efrin, who wrote when harry met sally, and her husband. we go to this restaurant, and he said this is the place where john godey, the mobster, comes every thursday. -- where john gotti comes every thursday. he walks in he's got six wise guys around him. i walk out of the restaurant, there is a big limo there and a guy that looks like luca from the godfather. he looks at me and goes, you killed my father, prepare to die. he said i love that movie, the princess bride. i thought he was going to kill me. >> after when harry met sally,

you tackled stephen kings misery. yospoke to some massive actors before that role before you gave it to james caan. >> i got turned down by robert redford and warren beatty and richard dreyfuss and kevin kline. everybody turned it down. but i thought jimmy caan, if he could do it, the idea of this guy, who is so physical, to be stuck in a bed for the whole movie, i thought, if he could pull that off, it would be incredible. because it would be the frustration of him. and every day i came to the set and i would say, jimmy, in this scene, you are in bed. i would tell them that everyday. >> the list goes on for your successes. a few good men, you didn't struggle to get men for that film. the biggest people of that time.

can you give directing -- directing notes to someone like that? >> really good actors are not uncomfortable with getting notes or even line readings. because they know that they have their craft, and they are not worried about somebody telling you something. tom manyimes would sayhow do you want me to say that? or jack would say, do you want me to say it that way? jack is one of the great film actors of all time. they know i'm an actor. i'm not the best actor, but i acted. i'm not going to get them to do anything that they wouldn't want to do or that they couldn't pull off. and so they felt comfortable and trusted me. >> rob reiner, thank you. it has been a pleasure. ♪

05/18/22 05/18/22 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> [indiscernible]