Director Steven Spielberg (C), his wife Kate Capshaw (L) and cast member Ruby Barnhill (R) pose on the red carpet as they arrive for the screening of the film "The BFG" at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 14, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua]

The movie was adapted from a Roald Dahl novel of which Spielburg recalled telling the story to his children when they were young.

Making a movie based on imagination and magic, Spielberg said, " All of us have to believe in magic, the worse the world gets, the more magic we have to believe in."

"Because that magic will give us hope. That hope will cause us to be proactive. And when we have the wherewithal to help, it will put us in a position to get very proactive in a world that needs our attention more than it ever has," the director told the press.

For him, hope comes from magic and "that's what movies can give people. They can give people hope that there will be a reason to fight on to the next day," he said.

The 69th Cannes Film Festival (Festival de Cannes) runs from May 11 to 22 in Cannes, France.