Escalating Row Over Cannes Palme D’Or Winner Justine Triet’s Politicized Victory Speech Spills Into French Parliament
30.05.2023 - 17:29
/ deadline.com
The growing row around Cannes Palme d’Or winner Justine Triet’s politicized victory speech as she received the coveted award for courtroom drama Anatomy Of A Fall spilt into the French parliament on Tuesday.
Triet used her Cannes victory speech on Saturday to decry the unpopular pensions reforms of President Emmanuel Macron’s government as well as what she described as its neo-liberal approach to culture, suggesting it would make it harder for a new generation of filmmakers to emerge and grow as directors.
Her comments provoked a sharp rebuke from Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak, who Tweeted she was “flabbergasted” by Triet’s speech, describing it as “unjust”.
“This film would not have seen the light of day without our French cinema finance model, which enables a unique diversity not seen anywhere else in the world,” she wrote.
Adbul Malak was in Cannes this year to talk up the launch of France’s $350 million ‘Grand Fabrique de L’Image’ cinema capacity-building initiative involving the construction of studios and training initiatives across the country.
There has been a flood of reactions on social media platforms and mainstream media, ranging from support for Triet to anger, with critics calling her “a spoilt child” and questioning the amount of public funding going into the cinema sector.
Three days on, the debate around Triet’s speech shows no sign of abating and even spilt into the French parliament on Tuesday.
Triet is the 10th French director and third woman to win the Palme d’Or over the Cannes Film Festival’s 76 editions. When Julia Ducournau won the prize for Titane in 2021, Macron congratulated her publicly over Twitter.
Toutes mes félicitations à Julia Ducournau pour sa Palme d'or au Festival de Cannes !