1. When The Environment Ruled The Screens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utQGEgEh0hA Eco-warriors and A-list celebrities do not often walk down the red carpet hand in hand unless the eco-warrior in question happens to be the Sea Shepherd Conservation society, that is. It all started in 2010, when the marine wildlife conservation organization sailed from New York to Cannes and was spotted by Michelle Rodriguez. The actress went on to join as crewmember, volunteering for a three-month anti-whaling campaign. As was to be expected, the news made a splash across international headlines and the following year found the Sea Shepherd back at Cannes and that year the screenings took on a
decidedly environmental protest flavour, with fund-raising events being included in the programme. The air at Cannes took on an even stronger whiff of protest in 2012, when activist Paul Watson hosted an event at the festival. Watson had just been released from a Frankfurt jail, after being detained there on an international arrest warrant from Costa Rica. Still facing extradition to Costa Rica on charges of endangering fishermens lives during a protest on the high seas,
his presence at Cannes was part of a lobbying effort to secure his freedom.