The movie stars aren’t there for themselves, after all — they’re there to be gawked at, admired and objectified by the public! The stars stroll the red carpet to have their pictures snapped by professional paparazzi, not by their own iPhones. That’s the law being laid down by Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Fremaux, who has banned selfies on the red carpet at Cannes. It’s bad news for actor-influencers who’ll want to post their selfies with other stars on Instagram and Snapchat. But it’s good news for the professional photographers who won’t have to wait for the stars to put down their big mobile devices before they can get a clear shot. Selfies on the red carpet, like selfies at any tourist attraction, have become an epidemic. Cannes is demanding more civility and elegance (and less self-absorption) in a brief return to the manners of yesteryear where the stars at least pretended to be interested in something other than themselves!
But while Mr. Fremaux is empowering the professional photographers, he is stripping power from professional film critics, putting them on the same level as the hoi polloi (such as it is at Cannes, anyway). For years critics have been shown screenings in advance of the general public at the festival, where their sometimes less-than-generous assessments can put a damper on a film’s reception. Fremaux wants to level the playing field in this more egalitarian era of reviewing where everybody has a platform, not just critics at magazines and newspapers. To that end, Fremaux has canceled the early screenings for professional critics, who now must sit with the general audience to review the films. That way a premiere is really a genuine premiere, seen by fans and critics at the same time. The 71st Cannes Film Festival begins May 8.
