In 2015, the Cannes Film Festival reportedly banned women in flat shoes from their screenings. Now, they’re banning red carpet selfies. Cannes you please back up off of women just living their lives?
Variety reports that the official edict has been handed down by Institut Lumière director Thierry Fremaux. It doesn’t matter how incredibly fly you look, how much you spent on getting styled, made-up, or coiffed. You cannot take a second to snap a pic and revel in the enormous accomplishment of walking to a your Cannes film premiere. Hell, even if you’re just a guest—that’s rad and worth a photo. Yet, your followers will not be able to engage with any selfie content this year.
“On the red carpet, the trivial aspect and the slowing down provoked by the disorder which these selfies create tarnishes the quality of [the red carpet experience] and of the festival as a whole,” said Fremaux.
Fremaux is very concerned with the dignity of his festival, and also its glamour and mystique. It was additionally announced that early morning press screenings of films before their official premieres are now over; critics must simultaneously watch from the Debussy theater as the stars sit in the main auditorium. This is specifically to “boost the prestige and weight of gala premieres.”
You know what makes me care about Cannes premieres? FOMO. And nothing administers FOMO like seeing a selfie of Julianne Moore in her glam best getting photobombed by Chrissy Teigen, or something.
The man announced a “limitation” on the number of selfies people could take on the carpet in 2015, according to the Guardian, and said some pretty questionable shit at the time:
Speaking before this year’s press conference to reveal the first round of premieres, Frémaux said: “We are waging a campaign to slow down the contemporary practice of selfies on the red carpet and the steps. Beyond what we think, it’s a practice that’s often extremely ridiculous and grotesque.”
Added incoming festival president, Pierre Lescure added: “It’s always the ugliest picture of you anyway.” Neither man revealed details of how the new ruling will be enforced, but they did say that police would not be present. They also conceded that a ban would not be possible – or even desirable.
What a difference three years makes. Can’t wait to see the rogue selfies this year.
DISCUSSION
In my day, we walked ten miles through a blizzard uphill both ways to hand the camera to someone else and let them take the goddamn photo.