Olympics Opening Ceremony Artistic Director Says Intention Was Not “To Mock Or Shock”
deadline.comThomas Jolly, the artistic director of Paris’ grandiose Olympics opening ceremony, has defended the show in the face of a backlash and accusations of “wokeism”.
Jolly told an official Olympics press conference on Saturday that his intention had not been “to be subversive, mock or shock.” His intention was rather, he said, to capture France in all its diversity. “My will is to say we are an immense ‘we’,” he said, adding: “In France, we have the right to love each other, as we want, with whoever we want, in France we have the right to believe and not to believe.
In France, we have many rights.” The extravagant four-hour opening ceremony unfolded and was inspired by a six kilometer (4.5 mile) stretch of the River Seine running through the heart of Paris.
In a series of 12 tableaux capturing the French spirit, Jolly and his collaborators ran riot with French cultural and historical references, juxtaposing tradition and modernity, and embracing diversity and inclusion.
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