Not for the first time this week, the Cannes Film Festival has courted controversy.
At a recent premier of the film, Carol, it was reported that some women were refused entry into screenings because they were not wearing high heels.
According to the Screen Daily, several women, including older women and women with medical conditions, were turned away when they tried to enter the screening, after they were told to “go and buy appropriate shoes and come back”.
Although an official spokesperson for Cannes has refuted these claims, they were corroborated by Amy director, Asif Kapadia, who said that his wife had initially been refused entry for her flat shoes, but was eventually let in.
Sicario actress, Emily Blunt, has also voiced her disappointment in the “high-heels-or-else” rule, saying that she was told she had to wear heels to the premiere, and was only allowed to switch to flats once she was inside the building.
“I think everyone should wear flats, to be honest,” said the actress, “We shouldn’t wear high heels anymore. That’s just my point of view I prefer to wear Converse sneakers. That’s very disappointing.”
Sicario director, Denis Villenueve, decided to jump in then, laughing: “As a sign of protest, Benicio [del Toro], Josh [Brolin] and I will walk the stairs in high heels tonight.”
Not surprisingly, Josh, Benicio and Denis did not wear heels to that night’s premiere.
Could it be because they discovered that being forced to wear high heels is very uncomfortable? Hm.
