Register

    Abortion rights demonstration held on red carpet at Cannes Film Fest

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1696 Views
    Cast and crew of the film 'Let it be Law' demonstrate for the legalization of abortion in Argentina upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'The Wild Goose Lake' at the 72nd international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Saturday, May 18, 2019. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)

    By Jake Coyle, Film Writer

    CANNES, France (AP) --

    Ahead of Saturday's premiere of an Argentine documentary on abortion, dozens of women demonstrated for abortion rights on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

    Women, including the filmmakers and activists seen in the film, waved green handkerchiefs and carried a large banner while walking the Cannes carpet at the premiere of Argentine director Juan Solanas' "Let It Be Law." The documentary depicts Argentina's battle to legalize abortion.

    Argentina's Senate last year rejected a bill to legalize abortion, prompting protests in Buenos Aires streets. Green handkerchiefs have come to be symbol of the movement. A modified version of the bill is to be presented to Congress on May 28.

    The film's debut comes as abortion rights are also being fiercely contested in the U.S. On Tuesday, the Alabama Senate passed a bill that would outlaw almost all abortions in the state, including those involving pregnancies from rape or incest.

    Many in the movie industry in Cannes have followed the developments in the U.S. with concern.

    "What's happening in Alabama is so important in the world," Eva Longoria, who produced the Netflix documentary "Reversing Roe," said Friday at a "Women in Motion" event in Cannes. "It's going to affect everybody if we don't pay attention."

    Tags:Cannes Film FestLet It Be Law



    Jussie Smollett’s conviction in 2019 attack on himself is overturned

    Thursday, November 21, 2024
    Jussie Smollett arrives at the BET Awards, June 26, 2022, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

    The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday overturned actor Jussie Smollett's conviction on charges that he staged a racist and homophobic attack against himself in downtown Chicago in 2019 and lied to police.

    The state's highest court ruled that a special prosecutor should not have been allowed to intervene after the Cook County state's attorney initially dropped charges against Smollett in exchange for forfeiting his $10,000 bond and conducting community service. The ruling and the appeal did not address Smollett's continued claim of innocence.

    Smollett, who is Black and gay, claimed two men assaulted him, spouted racial and homophobic slurs and tossed a noose around his neck, leading to a massive search for suspects by Chicago police detectives and kicking up an international uproar. Smollett was on the television drama "Empire," which filmed in Chicago, and prosecutors alleged he staged the attack because he was unhappy with the studio's response to hate mail he received.

    "We are aware that this case has generated significant public interest and that many people were dissatisfied with the resolution of the original case and believed it to be unjust," Justice Elizabeth Rochford wrote in the court's 5-0 decision. "Nevertheless, what would be more unjust than the resolution of any one criminal case would be a holding from this court that the state was not bound to honor agreements upon which people have detrimentally relied."

    Smollett's attorneys have argued that the case was over when Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office dropped an initial 16 counts of disorderly conduct. The deal prompted immediate backlash, with then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel calling it "a whitewash of justice." A special prosecutor was appointed, and a grand jury... Read More

    MySHOOT Profiles


    Add A Comment