Canadian filmmaker was asked to leave Cannes red carpet

Kelvin Redvers, an Indigenous Canadian filmmaker, was denied access to the 75th Cannes Film Festival’s red carpet because he was wearing traditional moccasins, he told Canadian media on Saturday.

The director grew raised in Canada’s Northwest Territories as a member of the Dene Indigenous people.

He told the CBC, “I grew up among my culture on the land, and moccasins are a major issue.”

“I understood that the red carpet has particular dress codes, so I figured that wearing a tuxedo, a bow tie, and an item that signified I was Indigenous would be OK.”

Moccasins, according to Redvers, are “very much regarded traditional and formal apparel” in many Canadian communities.

On May 22, the director was invited to the screening of “Les Amandiers” by French-Italian actress Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, who had come to France with a team of Indigenous filmmakers.

Security officers at the festival, on the other hand, denied him access to the red carpet, according to Redvers, who spoke to several major Canadian news sites. He was only permitted to return after removing his shoes.

“It’s difficult to comprehend information like that. I was almost there, and it still bothers me a bit when I think about it. I was dissatisfied. I was enraged “Upon his return to Vancouver, British Columbia, he stated.

Redvers’ sister had created the brown moccasins, and he stated he was “thrilled” to wear them at such a critical time in his life.

“It’s (the) finest feeling to be linked to family and Dene origins every time I wear them,” he added.

The filmmaker claimed he spoke with senior festival organisers within hours of the event, who apologised and offered him to wear the shoes on the red carpet for David Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future” screening on Monday.

On Facebook, Redvers expressed his hope that the incident would help spread the message that “Indigenous traditional attire is entirely acceptable in formal situations like the red carpet.”

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