Daily Times

Cannes film festival is a big name when it comes to film events. Recently, the head of Cannes film festival said that he’d be banning selfies because they create ‘unwanted disorder’ before premiers.

Once before, Thierry Fremaux had tried to ban the ‘ridiculous and grotesque’ practice at the world’s most prestigious film festival in 2015, but the intention was not implemented. He also pleaded with filmgoers, who are usually dressed in tuxedos and evening gowns, to contain themselves as much as they could.

He said that this time there would be no let off. “Selfies will be banned for spectators on the red carpet,” Fremaux told the media. But it was not made clear whether the ban will also apply to the cast and crew of the films being shown. “The triviality and slowdown caused by the unwanted disorder created by the practice of selfies harms the quality of the climb up the steps, and so the entire festival,” he said.

Hollywood stars have also been known to take selfies of themselves on the Cannes red carpet.

Thierry Fremaux also addressed the hackles of some film critics with major changes to the timings of press screenings, which were traditionally held before the gala red carpet premieres in the evenings. Critics will now have to wait for the next morning to see half of the films in the main competition, while others will be shown at the same time. The Guardian’s critic Peter Bradshaw led the revolt against the move, tweeting, “Whoa! Why not just have an embargo? Is it that hard to enforce? I can’t help thinking Cannes is saving up grief for itself with this!”

The festival’s director had earlier hinted to the media that a major change was in the offing.

“Don’t you think that it could be better to have the press screening and the gala screening in the same day, in the same moment, in the same hour, in order for the film team to arrive in total innocence, to make both the gala screening and the press screening two big world events?” he said.

Published in Daily Times, March 25^th 2018.