A Vancouver-based local filmmaker says he was treated as if he was “trying to steal something” after being rejected from a red carpet event at the Cannes Film Festival because he was wearing a pair of traditional moccasins.
Kelvin Redvers, a member of the Dene Nation of the Northwest Territories, attended the festival with a group of six local directors in a business program at the University of Capilino, with the support of a local on-screen office and a TV movie.
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On Sunday, he was invited to a screening on the red carpet of Les Amandiers by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi on Sunday, where he planned to wear a formal black suit and bow tie, along with a pair of moccasins handmade by his sister.
Redvers said the team of mentors he traveled with explained that despite the festival’s ultra-strict dress code, there are allowances for cultural formal wear.
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“I showed up 100 percent, expecting it to be in the realm of things they (will) allow,” Redvers told Global News.
“As a director of Dene, moccasins are a huge part of our culture. They are ceremonial, they can be quite special, so if you allow a kilt for someone who is Scottish, the equivalent will be a pair of moccasins for someone who is Dene.
Redvers said he went through the first of several red carpet checkpoints wearing a pair of plain shoes without wanting to damage his moccasins. But after he replaced them, employees responded quickly.
“Almost immediately someone comes and says ‘No, no, no,'” he said.
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The problem escalated to a higher level of festival staff, with a French-speaking member of his production team trying to explain the situation to no avail.
“After all, there was a security guard who I guess just broke, snapped, or whatever, and he’s a big scary man. “He (he) turned against me and essentially asked me to leave immediately,” he said.
“After weeks of being excited to bring my culture to this red carpet event and being told, ‘Get out, this isn’t welcome here,’ is something that stings and still stings.”
Redvers left the scene and, after dealing with the incident, changed back into his leather shoes and was allowed to enter the screening.
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But he said his team stood up for him and raised the issue with festival organizers. They heard and arranged a meeting the next day with the festival’s secretary general, one of the red carpet leaders and representatives of the Indigenous Screen Office and Telefilm.
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“He apologized for the way the security guard treated me and we had a discussion,” he said. “But even then, they were hesitant about understanding this pair of moccasins, why it’s formal wear.”
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The local office offered to help educate festival organizers about the importance of cultural formal wear such as moccasins or skirts with ribbons, he said.
As a result of the meeting, he was invited to a screening on the red carpet of the crimes of the future of Canadian director David Cronenberg on Monday, this time with moccasins. Initially, he met resistance at the checkpoint again, which was rejected by a senior official, he said.
Redvers and another member of his cohort show off their moccasins on the red carpet after meeting with festival organizers and explaining their cultural significance. Calvin Redvers
It was my favorite part of the festival, to be able to go from “No, no, no” to hey, “Yes, that’s good for that reason, here’s what they represent, here’s what they represent for us and our culture, so you can log in. “
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In a statement, Kerry Swanson, co-executive director of the Indigenous Screen Office, said she was pleased that the festival organizers were ready to listen.
“The indigenous delegation had an incredibly positive experience in Cannes, so it was disappointing to see a delegate rejected at a red carpet event,” she said.
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“The leadership in Cannes reacted quickly and we appreciated the end result and the opportunity to exchange dialogue and cultural understanding. We look forward to continuing our presence at the festival. ”
Global News has requested comment from the Cannes Film Festival.
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Although the red carpet incident drew international attention, Redvers said it overshadowed what was otherwise a very successful trip.
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He said his six-member cohort was given a chance to “sit at the table” and meet filmmakers from the film world.
Redvers is currently working on funding for his next feature film, described as a $ 8 million Indigenous Hostage Thriller Thriller, and said he has managed to build connections and build momentum for the project.
“In addition to the festival, there is a huge film market, so a lot of business happens in Cannes when it comes to sales agents and distributors and things like that,” he said.
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Back in Vancouver, Redvers said he hoped the red carpet experience would help spark discussions about cultural recognition and potentially bring about change.
He cited the negative reaction the festival faced in 2015 after rejecting women for wearing flat shoes instead of heels, a policy that later changed.
“The more people can be educated about what these things are, the easier it is to make those decisions right now to say, ‘Oh, that’s good, skip it,'” he said.
“And that, in my opinion, is our goal – to be able to have these conversations.”
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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