the climb of the steps disrupted, a demonstrator bursts on the red carpet

This Wednesday, May 17, the rise of the steps for the feature film The return by Catherine Corsini was disturbed by the appearance of a feminist activist. A familiar face to those who attended last year’s edition : member of the SCUM group, she appeared in panties among the guests, her chest painted in the colors of the Ukrainian flag and covered with the words “Stop raping us” (“stop raping us” in French). She then denounced the sexual violence that Ukrainian women have suffered since the beginning of the war. The same year, gluers unfurled a banner on the red carpet bearing the names of 129 victims of feminicide. In 2019, protesters and celebrities also defended the right to abortion on the steps of the Cannes Film Festival.

Even if serious accusations weigh on the new film by Catherine Corsini, it is a completely different subject that the feminist activist wanted to highlight: the fight against surrogacy (GPA). She was this time dressed in a red dress cut out at her round belly, which had a barcode and the word “Surrogacy” written on it (“surrogate mother” in French). According to the SCUM collective, which published a press release on Instagram, surrogacy would be “closely linked to the film industry”.

The activist quickly evacuated

The activist was quickly evacuated by Festival security. She nevertheless had time to shout her claims in front of the photographers, quoted on the collective’s Instagram account. According to them, “all surrogacy without exception, regardless of the nature and content of the contract that unites the two parties, is part of the exploitation of women for their reproductive capacities”. The SCUM wants to denounce “the commercial success of this procedure”which according to its members “can largely be attributed to the many clients from the film and media industry, whose economic power allowed access to it before its democratization”.