The 77th Cannes International Film Festival has come under fire for alleged racial discrimination, culminating in a lawsuit.
On May 30th, BBC reported that Ukrainian model and fashion TV host Sawa Pontyjska has filed a lawsuit against the Cannes Film Festival Organizing Committee. She claims she suffered mental and physical harm due to a security guard’s aggressive behavior on the red carpet.
Pontyjska stated, “As an invited guest at the Cannes Film Festival, I did nothing wrong. I attempted to contact the organizers for an apology, but received no response.” She is seeking 100,000 euros (approx 110,000 USD) in damages, alleging the incident also tarnished her reputation.
The security guard in question had been involved in multiple confrontations throughout the festival. On May 19th, Girls’ Generation member YoonA was excessively blocked on the red carpet, leading to a heated controversy. The guard also clashed with singer Kelly Rowland and Dominican actress Massiel Taveras, even engaging in a physical altercation with Taveras.
All the participants who faced such excessive actions from the security guard were people of color, sparking accusations of racial discrimination. BBC noted, “We reached out to the Cannes Film Festival Organizing Committee for a response, but they have not provided any comment.”
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Cannes not responding yet trying to find an acceptable answer to racism on the red carpet😂. The female usher i wonder what happened to her?