The transformation of the picturesque French Riviera is complete as Hollywood’s elite has descended on the ground for the 69th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. Like every year, the focus is not just on the films but also on the number of stars who make this festival much more intriguing, engaging and glamorous.
Money Monster, abuse allegationsand heelgate
The transformation of the picturesque French Riviera is complete as Hollywood’s elite has descended on the ground for the 69th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. Like every year, the focus is not just on the films but also on the number of stars who make this festival much more intriguing, engaging and glamorous.
Cannes was kicked off this year by the new Woody Allen film, Cafe Society which stars Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, and Blake Lively. The screening, however, also saw members of the media finally engage with Allen over allegations of sexual abuse (made by his daughter) after Ronan Farrow’s scathing piece in Hollywood Reporter questioned the media for its “silence” over the issue. Sadly, Allen just didn’t care and said so to the press.
Though the festival plays hosts to dozens of films from around the world, some are more high profile than others. A case in point: Jodie Foster’s Money Monster that brings back George Clooney and Julia Roberts on the big screen after years. The film features Clooney and Roberts as Financial TV host and his producer who come under fire after a disgruntled investor takes over the studio and creates a dangerous situation. The thriller, which is receiving fabulous reviews (so far), takes a swing at Wall Street and the high-tech financial world corridor with skill and intelligence.
Clooney, accompanied by wife (and human rights lawyer) Amal Amaluddin turned heads as the power couple walked the red carpet and were joined by other heavyweights like Jessica Chastain, Naomi Watts and Susan Sarandon.
Julia Roberts, who walked the Cannes red carpet for the first time in her life, went barefoot as a rebellious response to “heelgate” which basically asks women attending Cannes to not wear flats. Huh. Other than Roberts’ courageous barefoot move, other female actors to rightly react to this latest bizarre move included Susan Sarandon and Kirsten Stewart. While Sarandon deliberately wore pointed black flats and a super sexy tuxedo to the festival, Stewart opted to wear trainers to the opening gala dinner.
