10 Cannes Film Festival Protests (That Had Nothing To Do With Shoes)
4. When Cannes Gave A Nod To The Arab Spring Uprisings
In 2011, the festival introduced a new initiative through which the cinema of a different country would be celebrated each year. Egypt was chosen for the first event, in order to mark the pivotal role the country played in the Arab spring uprisings and to show solidarity with the movement that led to the toppling of the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Celebrations included a screening of 18 Days, a series of short films by 10 Egyptian directors filmed during the protests that toppled president Hosni Mubarak. But the political move came with a fly in the ointment. Marwan Hamed and Sherif Arafa, two of the 10 directors, were believed to be supporters of the Mubarak regime, having made adverts for the party. Festival-goers soon picked up on this and an online petition demanding their removal from Cannes didnt take long to surface. However, Cannes officials refused to pass judgement on the controversy, stating that it was not up to the festival to decide.
