Russian fake: Quentin Tarantino criticized film ‘Zelensky’ at Cannes Film Festival

Russian bots on social media are spreading a screenshot that appears to show an Instagram story from the account tarantinouniverse. The image includes a poster for the documentary film “Zelensky,” which focuses on the early life and rise of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and was screened at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival. The supposed story features a critical caption: “After watching the film ‘Zelensky,’ there is only one question left: who will give me back the time I spent?”

Accompanying posts claim that Quentin Tarantino himself criticized the film’s screening at Cannes.

This is false. Quentin Tarantino is not active on social media. While various Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) profiles claim to be his official accounts, none of them are actually run by the “Pulp Fiction” director.

The account tarantinouniverse, which was used to create this fake, is in fact one of the largest fan pages dedicated to Tarantino — something it clearly states in its profile description.

The documentary “Zelensky” was shown at the festival on May 13, 2025. The alleged Instagram story only appeared online on May 23 — ten days after the film’s premiere — which raises further doubts about its authenticity.

During the Cannes Film Festival, global film stars and event organizers repeatedly expressed their support for Ukraine. Three films about the war in Ukraine were screened: in addition to “Zelensky,” these included “Notre Guerre” (“Our War”), which tells the story of the front lines near Pokrovsk and Sumy, and “2000 Meters to Andriivka,” a new film by Mstyslav Chernov about the war in the Donetsk region.

Moreover, thanks to an initiative by U2 lead singer Bono and American actor-director Sean Penn, Ukrainian soldiers were honored on the festival’s red carpet.

Russian propaganda often fabricates Instagram stories allegedly from celebrities to discredit Ukraine. Previous false posts have been attributed to artist Banksy, musician Moby, and actors Jamie Lee Curtis, Uma Thurman, and Sylvester Stallone.

Earlier, Russian propagandists used an actress from the series “The Boy’s Word,” a collaborator and a Paralympian as part of a disinformation campaign targeting President Zelensky.

Andriy Olenin