A new social media campaign with the hashtag #CannesYouNot is calling out the Cannes Film Fest for “celebrating abusers for 76 years.”
The campaign was launched online, days before the festival, by supporters of Amber Heard.
Her ex-husband Johnny Depp’s new film, “Jeanne du Barry,” will open the prestigious festival on Tuesday night when Cannes kicks off in the South of France.
Eve Barlow — a journalist, activist and close friend of Amber Heard’s — posted the hashtag across her social platforms. “Cannes seem proud of their history supporting rapists and abusers,” Barlow posted on social media with the French expression, “Plus ça change,” which roughly translates to, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
The #CannesYouNot hashtag is being promoted across pro-Heard accounts on social media.
The city of Cannes has banned protests along the Croisette and its surroundings during the Cannes Film Festival. Organizers of the #CannesYouNot campaign, however, say they can’t be prevented from protesting online. The campaign was designed with Depp in mind, Rebecca says, but the intent is to shine a light on “the larger issue of men accused of abuse being protected and insulated by the film industry.”
“In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein watershed moment, the Cannes Film Festival said they took allegations of abuse seriously,” Rebecca adds. “We think it’s hypocritical for the Cannes Film Festival to have an anti-discrimination, anti-abuse policy, while opening the festival with a film starring Johnny Depp.”
On Monday, Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux pushed back on criticism that Cannes supports abusers. Speaking to a room full of journalists, Fremaux said, “If you thought that it’s a festival for rapists, you wouldn’t be here listening to me, you would not be complaining that you can’t get tickets to get into screenings.”
Cannes’ opening of Jeanne du Barry is seen as a major comeback for Depp.
During last year’s Cannes Film Fest, the trial was ongoing. Just days after the festival ended, the jury ruled in Depp’s favor.
Though Depp remains a controversial figure whose star power has waned amid his legal battles and troubling allegations against him, the past year has marked a stunning turnaround for the former A-lister who was dropped from mega franchises, including “Fantastic Beasts” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Aside from his big opening at Cannes, news recently broke that Al Pacino will star in film that Depp is directing, becoming his first directorial work in over 25 years; that film will also be introduced to buyers at Cannes.
And Depp just inked a $20 million deal with Dior, which is the largest men’s fragrance pact of all time.
“Jeanne du Barry” is directed by French filmmaker Maiwenn, who recently admitted to assaulting a journalist by spitting in their face. The journalist filed police complaint against her earlier this year.
Fremaux has defended his choice. “I don’t know about the image of Johnny Depp in the U.S.,” he said at the opening press conference. “To tell you the truth, in my life, I only have one rule, it’s the freedom of thinking, and the freedom of speech and acting within a legal framework … If Johnny Depp had been banned from acting in a film, or the film was banned, we wouldn’t be here talking about it.”
Fremaux did not keep up with the Depp v. Heard trial: “I’m the last person to be able to discuss all this. If there’s one person in this world who didn’t find the least interest in this very publicized trial, it’s me. I don’t know what it’s about. I also care about Johnny Depp as an actor.”
