Spanish film royalty, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, walked the red carpet to open the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday with their film “Everybody Knows”, written and directed by Iranian double-Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi.
Farhadi strode up the red carpet arm in arm with Bardem and Cruz, who wore a black ball gown and long ruby earrings, and Bardem, along with Argentine co-star Ricardo Darin, who is also a screenwriter and director in his own right.
The film is one of 21 vying for the Palme d’Or at the first Cannes festival since sexual abuse and harassment allegations rocked the global movie industry and gave birth to the MeToo campaign to get greater female participation in films.
Cannes has set up a hotline for victims to report any abuse during the festival and will host a series of discussions on the issue. And the jury that will award the Palme d’Or is this year headed by a woman, Australian actress Cate Blanchett, and is majority-female.
But Blanchett said the increased awareness of women’s issues would have “no direct impact” on who wins.
When asked whether she was concerned that of the 21 films in the main competition, there were only three directed by women, Blanchett told a news conference:
