Women have been turned away from a screening at this year's Cannes Film Festival for not wearing heels.
Several women wearing flat shoes were forbidden from attending a showing of Todd Haynes' Carol on Sunday (May 17), ScreenDaily reports.
The report provoked a backlash online and was also a topic of discussion at the Sicario press conference on Tuesday (May 19), as filmmaker Denis Villeneuve vowed to walk the red carpet in heels with stars Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin in protest.
Denis Villeneuve says he, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin will walk the red carpet in high heels in protest at the #cannes flat shoes ban
â€" Alex Ritman (@alexritman) May 19, 2015
Emily Blunt gives a big "no" to the news that women have been banned from #cannes events for wearing flat shoes
â€" Alex Ritman (@alexritman) May 19, 2015
Director Asif Kapadia, whose Amy Winehouse documentary Amy was screened during the festival, tweeted about the regulations, revealing that his wife was initially turned away from the screening due to her choice of footwear.
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@muirkate happened to my wife (eventually let in)
â€" asifkapadia (@asifkapadia) May 19, 2015
Others also confirmed that they were turned away from the red carpet during the event.
Yesterday a producer got to the red carpet and was told she had one hour to change. From flats into heels, that is pic.twitter.com/k78tWjQzKX
â€" Anna Mikhailova (@AnnaMikha) May 17, 2015
@Yishabelle @Screendaily I almost got turned away for wearing fine leather oxfords, wasn't in heels bc of ankle problems. Argued way in.
â€" Vicci Ho (@vicciho) May 19, 2015
Cannes festival film director Thierry Fremaux has since denied suggestions that heeled shoes are obligatory for women at Cannes screenings, writing on Twitter: "La rumeur selon laquelle le Festival exige des talons hauts pour les femmes sur les marches est infondée... Pour les marches, le règlement n'a pas changé: 'Smoking, tenue de soirée'. Aucune mention sur les "talons'." ("Rumours that the festival insists on high heels for women on red carpets are unfounded... for red carpets, the dress code is unchanged. 'Black tie, evening dress.' There's no mention of heels.")
Cannes gala screenings demand guests dress in black tie or evening dress, with "smart dress" requested for all other invitation-only screenings, according to the festival website.
The report comes after many Hollywood stars, including Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke, blasted Hollywood for gender inequality.
Steven Seagal's End of a Gun and Miles Teller's Bleed for This were amongst the films picked up at Cannes this year.
