Thierry Fremaux Responds to Rumors of #MeToo Reckoning at Cannes: These ‘Polemics Don’t Concern’ the Festival

variety.com:

Thierry Fremaux addressed France’s #MeToo reckoning during a press conference on the eve of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Following rumors that the French outlet Mediapart is putting together a bombshell report to publish during Cannes with several new #MeToo allegations, there has been much speculation regarding how it will impact the festival.

Alluding to the massive backlash last year over the selection of Maiwenn’s Johnny Depp movie “Jeanne du Barry” on opening night, Fremaux suggested he and Cannes president Iris Knobloch ensured the 77th edition wouldn’t include any obvious red flags, and said the ongoing “polemics” had nothing to do with the festival. “Last year, as you know, we had a few polemics, and we realized it, and so this year we decided to host a festival without polemics to make sure that the main interest for us all to be here is cinema,” Fremaux said. “So if there are other polemics, it doesn’t concern us.” Fremaux said there might be some controversies during the festival, “but we try to avoid them.” He said his selection work is still driven by artistic criteria rather than concerns over #MeToo scandals. “It’s about the movies and whether they deserve or not, in aesthetic or artistic terms, to be there,” Fremaux continued. “There is no ideology guiding the selection committee.” However, Fremaux addressed the potential impact of #MeToo on the type of movies being made. “We’ll talk about it in five years.

I may not be there any longer, but will there be self-censorship coming from artists?” he asked. “What’s happening today, with the new social relationships, and the rapports between women and men in the world, will it spur new type of stories?” He pointed out historical events have shaped film.