Cannes 2016: Woody Allen is a Disgusting Creep
Every May, the movie community heads to the French Coast for the Cannes Film Festival. The film elite has been rubbing elbows there for over 70 years. It is one of the best festivals to launch your flick in front of a ravenous and welcoming audience. The weather doesn’t hurt either.
It should come as no surprise that the Hollywood crowd, too, head there to do their promoting. Along with promoting comes film photo calls and pre-film red carpet fashion. Le sigh. Stars bring their most decadent fashion ‘A-Game’ to these events and dress to impress. This is a festival where you dress way over the top of the top. Huge gowns and decadent suits, luxury brands, and looking ‘extra’ are the expectation. Fashion can help elevate a film’s promotion as the photos of the stars enter the hearts and homes of everyday people all around the world. The more you see a star promoting a film, the more you hear about a film. It’s what they call top of mind.
Questions about fashion from the press are typical. It’s too easy to demand to #askhermore. I see it as an opportunity to work the conversation in your favour. The press may start the conversation complimenting and curious about what a star is wearing, but where it goes after that is up to the star.
What isn’t typical is the press NOT asking about controversy. The media is usually the first to ask hard questions. More specifically, multiple incidents of controversy stemming from a big player in Hollywood who just happens to be white, older and male. Yep, I’m taking shit about Woody Allen.
This creep has been welcomed and celebrated film after film. He has support from more than just the cinema community as his latest motion picture’s bill was footed by mega-corporation Amazon. If you’re not up to date what his controversies are, here’s a quick-- and revolting-- overview:
Woody Allen had a 12-year relationship with Mia Farrow and adopted some of Mia’s children from her past partners. She had children of her own including adopted, Soon-Yi Previn, now age 44, who just happens to have been married to Woody Allen for the past 19 years. They were together for at least 5 years before their wedding. That’s right. Woody Allen romanced and married his former spouse’s adopted child when he was about 50 and she was 21 (her age is not exact as her birth records are not concrete). Soon-Yi would have been around as a child Allen the whole time he and Farrow were together. Father figure marries ex's child. Oh and his adopted daughter with Mia, Dylan Farrow, insists she was molested by Allen when she was a young child. Father molests child. And he is confirmed to be degrading to actresses while working with them. Director mind fucks actresses.
WTF?
Let me be clear: this is not okay. I’m sure you agree that it’s not okay. Why, then, don’t we hear about this more? I am heartbroken, as many of my favourite actresses have worked with him since this has all been publicized. This includes Cate Blanchett, Scarlett Johannson, and most recently Miley Cyrus and Kristen Stewart. These are all smart people. So why do actor, actresses and the larger community continue to work with him? Because his work is held in the highest esteem, regardless of the monster he is, and stars advance their careers by being able to say they worked with him. Their nonchalance is not okay.
Again, WTF?
While it’s lovely to look at the fashion, and I do love that, it’s unbelievably fucked that the media and press-- whose job it is to uncover AND expose the truth no matter what-- are not asking the obvious questions. There surely is more to Woody Allen. There isn’t a more obvious time to #askhermore (and the fellas too) and do something about it.
I’m sure many think, “Oh Sarah, it’s all in the past and no charges have been laid, so let it go. Just enjoy the fashion on display in sunny France.”
No. No I will not. Why? this graphic right here in our own backyards is why.
