The labor union CGT, which is represented by Denis Gravouil on the administration board of the Cannes Film Fest, is still preparing a large demonstration on May 21 but it will take place along Boulevard Carnot, far away from the Croisette and from the festival’s headquarters.
There will also be a rally of hospitality workers, including staff from hotels, cafes and restaurants, in front of the Carlton hotel – whose famous guests this year include Scorsese — on May 19, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The rally, which will involve protesters banging saucepans to express their anger, is allowed because the front of the Carlton is private area.
Cannes has been restricting demonstrations along the Croisette since the terrorist attacks in 2016, but Celine Petit, high-ranking CGT official based in Nice, said she “had been negotiating with local and regional authorities for nearly two weeks to reach a compromise over a demonstration path that would be close enough to the Croisette, as it was done in 2013, to give some visibility to (their) actions.”
“It’s always been possible to find middle ground, but this time around they say they’re afraid it will degenerate, but frankly I don’t know if it’s really fear or a will to not give any visibility to our claims about pension reform or what’s going on in the film world,” said Petit, alluding that it was also planning to protest against the inclusion of certain movies in competition.
Both Petit and Gravouil said the power cut inside the Palais des Festivals – most likely inside the Lumiere Theater — hasn’t been ruled out.
“We want some space to speak out and be heard, we want to host press conference and walk up the stairs of the Palais, and the Festival should understand this if they want to avoid things like power cut,” said Gravouil, who referred to the biblical story of David and Goliath to describe the face off. “Things will go much smoother if the festival plays ball with us.”
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