A fake terrorist attack at Cannes Film Festival on Friday (May 13), which turned out to be a publicity stunt, has been widely criticised.
Guests staying at the Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc were shocked when a group of six men wearing balaclavas under black helmets aggressively approached the hotel by boat.
One of the uniformed men then stormed the stairs in the stunt, which was orchestrated by Paris-based Oraxy, a private global marketplace reserved exclusively for the ultra-rich.
The stunt has received a lot of criticism on Twitter, even though the French National Police have since stated it was a "communication effort and publicity for an Internet site".
"We were all caught off guard," publicist J.R. Savet told The Hollywood Reporter. "And then someone screamed and people jumped out of their chairs and started moving quickly to the swimming pool area. It was pretty scary."
A spokesperson for Oraxy has apologised for the stunt, adding that it was coordinated with maritime authorities: "It wasn't meant to frighten people."
Oraxy are said to be planning further stunts during Cannes. However, the spokesperson noted that they "will be something more sporty".
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
