Emily Blunt Speaks Out Against ‘No Flats’ Controversy At Cannes

by Olivia Truffaut-WongMay 20, 2015, 8:39 pm >

Emily Blunt spoke out against the no-flats rule at the Cannes Film Festival after reports alleged that women were denied access to a premiere because they were wearing flats instead of high heels.

Flats Ban At Cannes?

According to reports, a handful of women were turned away from the premiere of Carol, a film starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, on Sunday, May 17. The women, reportedly in their 50s, were allegedly appropriately dressed save for rhinestone flats and were turned away. After the report went viral, Cannes confirmed it’s no-flats for women policy and Asif Kapadia, director of the Amy Winehouse documentary, Amy, which is screening at the festival, also confirmed the story, saying that Festival officials almost refused entry to his wife.

Valeria Richter, a film producer and Cannes Film Festival regular, told reporters that she was turned away from the Sea of Trees premiere for wearing flats. She is an amputee, who lost part of her left foot two years ago and chose appropriate footwear to fit her needs. “It is ridiculous. We are all working women who walk up and down the streets of Cannes all day doing business. They cannot force us to wear heels,” Richer noted.

Needless to say, the story caused widespread outrage. Even famous guests, such as Sicario star Emily Blunt, expressed their frustration with the incident, describing it as just another example of sexism in the film industry. “It’s very disappointing, obviously. You kind of thought there were waves of people realizing that women are just as fascinating and interesting to watch, and just as bankable as men,” she said at the press conference for Sicario.

Model Cara Delevingne was also shocked by the report and pledged to wear flats in protest, saying, “A flats ban? I’m going to wear flats now, for that reason. Are you kidding me?”

Despite widespread outrage, Cannes officials are denying any such policy and released a statement saying that hosts and hostesses were reminded of the official dress code, which has no specific criteria for heel height.

“Regarding the dress code for the red carpet screenings, rules have not changed throughout the years (Tuxedo, formal dress for Gala screenings) and there is no specific mention about the height of the women’s heels as well as for men’s. Thus, in order to make sure that this rule is respected, the festival’s hosts and hostesses were reminded of it,” reads the statement.

Cannes Festival director Thierry Fremaux denied that there was any rule mandating women wear high heels on the red carpet on Twitter.

The controversy is especially upsetting to women who were hoping to see a more enlightened and equal representation of women and men in the Cannes Film Festival. The Festival recently made efforts to include more female directors and is launching a series of talks about women in the film industry, “Women in Motion.” The ‘no-flats’ rule could undermine a great deal of that progress, at least with regards to public perception of the Festival.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.