Protests continue to hog limelight on the Cannes red carpet

French women of colour and cinema personalities from Brazil highlight their causes: banishing prejudice and protecting tribes

The 71st Cannes Film Festival will probably be remembered more for the protests staged than for the films screened at the 12-day event, ending tomorrow.

Wednesday was yet again in the headlines for protests on the red carpet. Sixteen female actors of colour staged quite a glamorous, vivacious protest, denouncing everyday racism in the French film industry. Led by Bamako star Aissa Maiga, they also launched their new book, Being Black Is Not My Job (Noire n’est pas mon metier), denouncing the prejudices they have suffered at the hands of filmmakers and casting agents.

This follows hot on the heels of an historic red carpet demonstration last Saturday by 82 Hollywood stars, women directors, producers and scriptwriters, led by Cate Blanchett, demanding equal pay and status. “I was moved to act by the spirit of the times,” Maiga told AFP. She said that quotas “could be a possible option” for combating the lack of black faces on screen.

Another protest on Wednesday was staged by the largely Brazilian cast and crew of the film The Dead and the Others, which is competing in the Un Certain Regard segment at Cannes. They called for the demarcation of indigenous lands and a halt to the killing of native tribes in Brazil.

Away from these protests, American actor John Travolta walked down memory lane, as his 1978 hit Grease was screened on a beachfront. He met fans and submitted to selfie requests.