Actor Vin Diesel has defended blockbuster filmmaking as “not a lesser form of art” in a deeply personal essay reflecting on his history with the Cannes Film Festival and the legacy of the The Fast and the Furious franchise.

Writing about his return to Cannes this year, where “The Fast and the Furious” was recognised as a Cannes Classic, Diesel reflected on the cultural impact of mainstream films and the importance of shared cinematic experiences.

“What that first ‘Fast’ film did, 25 years ago, was remind Hollywood of something it had quietly forgotten,” Diesel wrote. “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 recalled first attending Cannes in 1995 with his short film “Multi-Facial,” describing himself then as “a 27-year-old New York actor who couldn’t get cast.” He said he and a friend travelled daily from Nice because they could not afford to stay in Cannes and survived on “one meal a day, pasta bolognese.”

Reflecting on cinema’s evolution, Diesel wrote that Cannes continued to uphold its original purpose by “Declaring that cinema belongs to everyone.”

The actor also became emotional remembering late co-star Paul Walker during the Cannes screening, noting that Walker’s daughter, Meadow, sat beside him as audiences celebrated the film’s legacy.

“I will not try to explain what it was to see Paul in the final shot of the film,” Diesel wrote. “Some moments do not translate, and that one is mine to keep.”