Cannes Film Festival Director Thierry Frémaux took to the stage on Monday for his traditional meeting with the press on the eve of the opening ceremony.  In a sign of the complexity of the times, he was grilled on everything from AI to new Oscar submission rules; selfies; the festival’s gender parity record; steps taken to Berlinale backlash, the Hollywood studios and Fast and Furious .  On whether the festival had taken steps to prepare its jury and the film teams on how to deal with thorny political questions in the light of the Berlinale’s rocky ride, Frémaux did not give a direct answer.  “The question raised in Berlin is one that regularly comes up at the festival, which for a long time was considered as a very political festival. Is it more or less than before? We’re living in different times, it’s hard to make a comparison,” he said.…