2023-05-16 07:00:00
Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux has brushed off criticism over the decision to open the festival with the actor’s new film, ” Jeanne du Barry ».
Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux has defended the festival’s inclusion of the film marking the return of Johnny Depp and pushed back against criticism from French actress Adèle Haenel, who recently wrote that festival organizers ” are ready to do anything to defend their rapist leaders ».
As reported VarietyMr. Fremaux addressed these questions during a press conference before the opening night of the Cannes festival, which will be marked by the premiere of the new film with Johnny Depp, Jeanne du Barry. The film, directed by Maïwenn, is Depp’s first major project since his legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard.
The inclusion of Jeanne du Barry at Cannes drew some criticism, but Fremaux dismissed it out of hand, telling reporters: ” I am not familiar with the status of Johnny Depp in the United States. To tell you the truth, in my life, I have only one rule, it is the freedom to think, the freedom of expression and to act within a legal framework.. »
Mr. Fremaux also insisted that he was “ the last person to speak of the trial, stating: If there’s one person in this world who hasn’t found any interest in this highly publicized trial, it’s me. I don’t know what it is. Johnny Depp is most important to me as an actor.. »
And to add: If Johnny Depp had been banned from acting in a movie, or if the movie had been banned, we wouldn’t be here talking about it. So we saw Maïwenn’s film and it could have been in competition. She would have been the eighth female director. »
Furthermore, Maïwenn also found herself in a legal situation delicate after Edwy Plenel, the editor-in-chief of Mediapart, sued her for assault. According to him, Maïwenn approached him in a restaurant and pretended to spit in his face after grabbing him by the hair.
Thierry Fremaux was equally dry when she referred to the open letter published last week by Adèle Haenel, who gave up acting due to the prevalence of sexism, sexual assault, racism and other problems in the film industry (and in many films as well). In her letter, she denounces the continued support of the industry to several personalities who have been the subject of accusations of sexual assault, abuse and / or rape, in particular the actor Gérard Depardieu, the president of the French National Film Board Dominique Boutonnat and director Roman Polanski.
« It bothers them, it bothers them that the victims make too much noise, they preferred that we continue to disappear and die in silencewrote Haenel in the magazine Telerama. They will do anything to defend their rapist bosses, those who are so rich that they believe themselves to be a superior species.. »
Mr. Fremaux countered by calling Ms. Haenel’s comments ” radicals ” and of ” faux » and stating that « she didn’t think that when she came to Cannes 2019 to support The Portrait of the Girl on Fire « unless she suffers from cognitive dissonance. »
Fremaux launched to the assembly of journalists: But if you thought this was a festival for rapists, you wouldn’t be here listening to me, you wouldn’t be complaining about not getting tickets to attend the screenings. »
Jon Blistein
Translated by the editor
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