Canadian filmmaker Dene was removed for safety at a red carpet event at the multi-day festival to wear traditional moccasins.
Indigenous filmmaker Kelvin Redvers was denied entry to the red carpet at the 75th Cannes Film Festival because he wore traditional loafers.
The director is a member of the Dene Indigenous community and grew up in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
“It simply came to our notice then [would] allows, “Redvers told Canadian Global News.
Filmmaker dene said moccasins were “a big part of our culture.”
“They’re ceremonial, they can be quite special, so if a kilt is allowed for someone who is Scottish, the equivalent would be a pair of moccasins for someone who is Dene.”
The director traveled to France with a delegation of indigenous filmmakers and was invited to the premiere of Les Amandiers by Franco-Italian actor Valeria Bruni Tedeschi on May 22nd.
Festival security officials, however, banned him from the red carpet, Redvers told several major Canadian media outlets. He was only allowed to return once he changed his shoes.
A few hours after the incident, the filmmaker said that he met with the main people in charge of the festival who apologized and invited him to wear moccasins on the red carpet during the presentation of Crimes of the Future by David Cronenberg last Monday. .
“It simply came to our notice then. When it happened, I honestly couldn’t process it completely, ”she posted on Facebook, noting that the pair of traditional shoes she was wearing were made by her sister.
“I hope things change in the future, so wearing them is pretty normal. The world needs more moccasins.”