A group of female protesters staged a dramatic scene at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, releasing plumes of smoke from mobile devices and hoisting a tall banner for the world press.
At the premiere of “Holly Spider,” director Ali Abbasi’s women-focused thriller, nearly a dozen formally dressed women gathered on the famed stairs at the festival’s Grand Palace with raised fists — filling the void with thick black smoke and carrying a long scroll of women. Names.
Security seemed unfazed by the event, allowing protesters to be photographed and photographed. An insider close to the production said the protest was not a coordinated ploy to promote the film, about a journalist traveling to the Iranian holy city of Mashhad to investigate a serial killer who murdered sex workers.
The protest took place before the actors and directors arrived, the source said, adding that the convoy of cars carrying talents was stopped briefly on the Boulevard de la Croisette before it reached the top of the red carpet.
The film is based on the horrific true story of serial killer Saeed Hanai, who believed he was on a sacred mission to purge the Streets of Sin, according to the film’s synopsis. Abbasi wrote the script with Afshin Kamran Bahrami. The film stars Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Mehdi Baghstani.
This is the second protest at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022. On Friday, an activist who attended the world premiere of George Miller’s film 3000 Years of Longing organized a protest against alleged sexual violence by Russian forces against women in Ukraine. As the guest arrived at the event wearing a dress code, she removed her gown to reveal a center portion with the words “Stop Raping Us” painted behind the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
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