The Cannes Film Festival always seems to have something weird up its sleeve to take attention away from the movies and this time it is “Shoegate,” a scandal that was sparked over the weekend when women wearing flats were turned away from the premiere of Carol. Emily Blunt even called the whole thing disappointing and said that everyone should be allowed to wear flats at the festival.
The situation came to light Monday when Screen Daily reported that women who decided to wear flats to the screening of Todd Haynes’ lesbian drama were turned away just because their very comfortable footwear wasn’t formal enough.
“Someone I know was turned away for wearing nice flats, nothing you would wear to the beach,” a festival goer told the site. “They were in their 50’s. They told her she could go and buy appropriate shoes and come back.”
Even documentary filmmaker Asif Kapadia, whose Amy Winehouse film Amy was just shown at this year’s festival, said his wife was once turned away for wearing flats.
On Tuesday, Blunt was told about the report, which she called “very disappointing, obviously,” reports the Associated Press. Blunt had to walk the red carpet for Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario.
“Everyone should wear flats, to be honest, at the best of times,” Blunt said. “You kind of think that there's these new waves of equality.”
“There is no specific mention about the height of the women's heels as well as for men's,” Festival spokeswoman Christine Aime told the AP. “Thus, in order to make sure that this rule is respected, the festival's hosts and hostesses were reminded of it.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, festival director Thierry Fremaux tweeted that this “rumor” of a high heels requirement for women is “unfounded.”
Still, this “shoegate” is probably the last thing the festival needed in a year when gender equality in the movie industry is a major topic. The festival did open with a film by a woman director for the first time since 1987, but only two films by women directors are in competition.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com