The Cannes International Film Festival is an event that always attracts the attention of a huge amount of the press. That is why stars and activists began to use the event to publicize important topics.

student protest

In 1969, the 21st Cannes Film Festival opened on May 10 with the screening of Gone with the Wind and was supposed to end on May 24, but on May 19 it was closed with a scandal. Shortly before this, the director of the Cinematheque, Henri Langlois, was removed from the tenement. This caused a storm of indignation in society, student protests and demonstrations, clashes with the police and a strike began, which as a result acquired a political character and led to a change of government, the resignation of President Charles de Gaulle.

In Cannes, they decided not to react to the riots in the streets and, traditionally, ladies in luxurious dresses and jewelry began to appear on the Cote d’Azur, along with famous actors and directors. The festival started and even showed several films, but on May 18 a press conference was held, led by Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Leo, Claude Berry and Jean-Gabriel Albicocco, which came down to a lively discussion – how to close The Cannes Film Festival, because when the country is on strike, it is ridiculous to hold a bourgeois event.

In solidarity with the protesters, the directors boycotted the festival, the jury members resigned and seized the cinema hall. Jean-Luc Godard literally hung on the curtain to interfere with the screening of the film “Chilled Mint Cocktail”. The next day the festival was closed.

Photographers protest

You should not think that only actors are on strike, sometimes they themselves become a reason for a strike by their actions. This is exactly what happened in 1983 to the young French actress Isabelle Adjani, who was then at the peak of her popularity.

The girl decided to make money during her visit to Cannes and refused to attend traditional photo shoots. Instead, she stated that she would only shoot with photographers who signed a contract with her for photography. Appearing in public, the actress covered her face with a bag and put on glasses.

This behavior offended the photojournalists and they decided to boycott the young star. When Isabelle arrived at the Cannes Film Festival and climbed the stairs, all the photographers defiantly put their cameras on the floor and turned their backs to the girl.

Film industry workers protest

In 2004, at the 57th Cannes Film Festival, part-time French film and theater workers walked the red carpet with the word “Negotiations” on their backs. They protested against the change in the way pay for short-term work in the industry.

Protest against kidnapping

In 2014, on the red carpet of the film festival with signs #BringBackOurGirls – “Bring back our girls!” actresses Salma Hayek and Julie Gayet came out. Thus, celebrities decided to take part in a campaign in support of 276 Nigerian schoolgirls taken hostage by Islamists from the Boko Haram organization. The radicals threatened to sell them into sexual slavery if the country’s authorities did not release their militants.

Coup in Brazil

In 2016, ahead of the premiere of Aquarius, Brazilian actors raised signs on the steps of the Cannes Film Festival saying that a coup had taken place in their country. It was then about the removal from office of the country’s president, Dilma Rousseff, as a result of the impeachment procedure.

Protest against heels

Women also defiantly protested for several years in Cannes. It all started when the premiere of the film “Carol” was not allowed to several women who did not come in high heels. Security did not let them through because of “inappropriate” shoes.

The organizers of the festival, of course, then reacted to the scandal and said that the rules did not say that women should wear heels. But many visitors began to note that they, too, were refused entry due to lack of heels.

A year earlier, a similar story happened to Danish producer Valeria Richter. She was also refused to be allowed to the event not in heels, but the woman simply could not put them on, because part of her foot was amputated.

Many actresses did not tolerate such discrimination and decided to walk the red carpet barefoot. Julie Roberts took off her shoes in 2016 and Kristen Stewart took off her shoes in 2018.

But the statements of famous actresses did not help. In 2019, they tried not to miss the editor-in-chief of Variety Claudia Eller on the red carpet, also because of “inappropriate” shoes.

Protest against sexism

In 2018, another protest took place in Cannes. 82 women came out to rally against sexism and for equality in the film industry. They said that the event itself is already sexist, because in more than 70 years of history, only 82 female filmmakers showed their films, while more than 1800 works of male directors were presented.

Among the protesters then were such famous personalities as Cate Blanchett, Marion Cotillard, Salma Hayek, Kristen Stewart.

Protest against killings on the border with Israel

In 2018, another clash between the Palestinians and the Israeli military took place in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in many casualties. The situation caused a lot of criticism in the world and the French-Lebanese actress Manal Issa decided to declare her position. During the photocall, she held up a banner over her head that read “Stop the attack on Gaza.”

Protest against racism

But 2018 was not without these protests alone. They also decided to remind black actresses about racial discrimination in the French film industry. 16 girls took to the red carpet in outfits from the Balmain brand, which were created by the creative director of the brand – dark-skinned French designer Olivier Rousteing.

The actresses noted that they were tired of racist jokes and questions at castings about the color of their skin.

Protest against Alain Delon

In 2019, 83-year-old actor Alain Delon was nominated for the Palme d’Or, but this decision caused a lot of protests from women in society and led to the fact that more than 20 thousand feminists took to the streets. And all because before the festival, the actor admitted in an interview that he had to slap a woman in the face. In addition, he stated that he opposes the adoption of children by same-sex couples.

Could not pass by this actress Sand Van Roy. On the red carpet in Cannes, she appeared in a dress with an open back, which read “Stop Violence Against Women”.

That year, more than 26,000 people signed a petition against the actor’s award, but he still received the award.

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