Indigenous B.C. filmmaker says he was refused entry on Cannes red carpet for his moccasins
A Dene filmmaker says he was “disappointed” and “close to tears” when security at the Cannes Film Festival blocked him from walking the red carpet while dressed in a pair of moccasins.
Kelvin Redvers, a Vancouver-based producer who attended Cannes as part of a delegation of six Indigenous filmmakers, says he was refused entry to the carpet for Valeria Bruni Tedeschi's “Les Amandiers” last Sunday because festival staff didn't approve of his traditional Indigenous footwear.
He says he was only allowed to walk the carpet if he swapped out his moccasins for a pair of formal shoes that Cannes deemed appropriate.
Redvers obliged, but he says he hopes speaking out about his experience leads Cannes organizers to rethink what counts as formal wear when it comes to representing different cultures on their red carpets.
“Whenever there's an opportunity - if there's an award show or a special event - it's really important for me to be able to bring in a bit of my Dene heritage,” he said.
“My goal was to wear my suit, and my bowtie and my Dene moccasins, which are formal, they're cultural. And they're still sort of elegant and classy. I had no reason to believe that they wouldn't fit on the red carpet.”
Cannes is notoriously strict about formalwear at many of its red carpet premieres - requiring a black tie for men and evening gowns for women - however, some traditional formal wear is accommodated, such as Scottish kilts and Indian saris.
The festival once outlined some of the formalwear expectations on their website, but in recent years - after a number of controversies, including one involving women wearing flats instead of heels - the official guidelines have all but disappeared online.
Before the Sunday screening, Redvers says he gathered with his fellow filmmakers to take photos in their tuxedos and moccasins. The group, who were in Cannes with the support of Telefilm, the Indigenous Screen Office, and Capilano University's FILMBA program, then headed to the red carpet.
After getting past the first security checkpoint, Redvers pulled off his pair of street shoes and stepped into his moccasins. That is when security at a second checkpoint stopped him.
Various levels of Cannes red carpet officials were brought in to assess the situation, Redvers says, while a French-speaking member of his cohort tried to explain to security, “this is cultural wear, this is traditional. They were just not hearing it.”
“Eventually one security guard just hit his breaking point,” Redvers says.
“He just switched and was ... furiously demanding immediately that I leave, in an aggressive and angry tone, saying, 'Leave, leave, you must leave now.”'
Representatives for the festival did not respond to requests for comment.
After the heated moment, Redvers decided he still wanted to attend the screening, so he took off his moccasins and went into the theatre.
“I was so disappointed, like, it was actually distracting during the movie,” he says.
“I just couldn't stop thinking about not being allowed to represent my culture on the red carpet on this world stage.”
“I was pretty close to tears and quite upset,” he added.
After members of Telefilm and the Indigenous Screen Office complained to Cannes about the treatment the filmmakers received, Redvers says leadership agreed to meet with them and apologize for the negative experience.
“I think it was a productive meeting,” he said.
“It's an educational time because they just didn't understand what moccasins were and why they were important. (They) just kind of thought of them as slippers, which is what they said a few times.”
Cannes officials invited him to wear his moccasins at the red carpet premiere of David Cronenberg's “Crimes of the Future” the following night. When one security guard rejected his footwear at that screening, a higher-up staff member intervened and let him onto the carpet.
“That was probably the most satisfying moment of the festival,” he says.
“To be able to rock the mocs on the red carpet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Senators reject field trip to African Lion Safari amid elephant bill study
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
CFIA monitoring for avian flu in Canadian dairy cattle after U.S. discoveries
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is encouraging veterinarians to keep an eye out for signs of avian influenza in dairy cattle following recent discoveries of cases of the disease in U.S. cow herds.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
Vancouver firefighter in rehab at home after losing leg to flesh-eating infection overseas
A family trip took a frightening turn for Christopher Won when he was diagnosed with flesh-eating disease while in Hong Kong and now, after weeks of treatment overseas, the Vancouver firefighter is back home recovering.