Cannes Film Festival Bans "Ridiculous" Red Carpet Selfies

Ahead of the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Thierry Fremaux, festival director, has outlined a series of changes to this year’s proceedings. Fremaux has previously tried to curb the practice of selfie taking on the red carpet, but has now decided to ban self portraits and fan photographs, which he deems "ridiculous and grotesque", entirely.

“On the red carpet, the trivial aspect and the slowing down provoked by the disorder which these selfies create tarnishes the quality of [the red-carpet experience] and of the festival as a whole,” he said in an interview with Le Film Francais.

To help “revamp the attractiveness of and gloss to gala evenings” it will also eliminate morning press conferences. Critics will see films in the Debussy theatre at the same time as guests inside the main auditorium will view the evening world premieres, in order to reduce early reviews that can make or break a film’s prospects.

This year’s festival, which is celebrating its 71st edition, will also begin a day earlier than in the past, on a Tuesday (May 8), in order to have the closing ceremony take place on a Saturday.