"VAN" (International Desk) :: Iconic French actor Alain Delon is to be awarded an honorary Palme d'Or on Sunday despite criticism over past comments he's made deemed racist and sexist and a petition urging the Cannes Festival not to go ahead with the move.
The Cannes Film Festival announced last month it would honour Delon, 83, for his career, prompting near-immediate criticism from feminist groups.
Melissa Silverstein, founder of Women and Hollywood, which advocates for gender diversity in the global film industry, said that by awarding Delon the honorary Palme d'Or, the festival was espousing the actor's "abhorrent values".
In past interviews, the actor described himself as "macho" and admitted slapping women he's been in relationships with. He has also come out against adoption for same-sex couples and talked about his friendship with Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the French far-right National Front party, whom he served with during the Indochina wars.
Osez le féminisme, a French feminist collective, also condemned the festival for its decision, writing on Twitter: "no honours for aggressors!"
"DID #METOO not teach us anything? We demand that the Cannes Film Festival refuses to honour a misogynist aggressor," it added, referring to the global movement against sexual harassment and abuse born in late 2017 following revelations of widespread abuse in the film industry.
Responses
Leave your comment