Scandal, Protesting Stars and Bans as Cannes Festival Opens

The most political Cannes film festival in years opens late Tuesday with female stars vowing to protest on the red carpet against industry sexism, two top directors barred from attending and bans hanging over some movies, Agence Frnace- Presse reported.

With Hollywood still reeling from the Harvey Weinstein scandal, and Cannes under fire for its dearth of women directors, jury members Cate Blanchett, Ava DuVernay and Kristen Stewart said they would join other actresses and female filmmakers on Saturdayin a protest in support of the # MeToo and Time’s Up movements.

Blanchett, who heads the jury, did not hide her unhappiness that only three of the 21 directors in the running for the top Palme d’Or prize are women.

“For profound lasting change to occur, it needs to take place through specific actions, not through pontification,” she said.

“It’s addressing the gender gap and the racial diversity and the equality and the way we make our work.”

Cannes’ patchy record on female directors, and Saturday’s red carpet protest, may generate the most heat in a festival packed with political hot potatoes -- even if the launch of the new “Star Wars” spin- off, “Solo”, should lighten the mix.

Yet with no fewer than a dozen films with LGBT themes, and others tackling child abuse, male prostitution and an eyewatering DIY sex change, it has all the makings of a vintage year for scandal and controversy in Cannes.