Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Frémaux responds to ‘festival for rapists’ claim

Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Frémaux has responded to “festival for rapists” claim.

According to Independent, French actress Adèle Haenel penned an open letter last week in which she shared that she had left the movie industry due to “political reasons”.

In a letter, Adèle wrote, “Cannes was ready to do anything to defend their rapist chiefs.”

On Monday (May 15), Frémaux reacted to Haenel’s “false” and “radical” remarks during a press conference ahead of its opening night.

“She didn’t think that when she came to Cannes unless she suffered from a crazy dissonance,” he stated.

Thierry further said, “People use Cannes to talk about certain issues and it’s normal because we give them a platform.”

The chief clarified, “But if you thought that it’s a festival for rapists, you wouldn’t be here listening to me.”

“You would not be complaining that you can’t get tickets to get into screenings,” he added.

At the press meet-up, Frémaux also addressed criticism for opening the festival with French moviemaker Jeanne Du Barry’s movie Maïwenn, starring Johnny Depp.

“I don’t know about the image of Johnny Depp in the US. To tell you the truth, in my life, I only have one rule, it’s the freedom of thinking, and the freedom of speech and acting within a legal framework,” explained the Cannes chief.