Dene filmmaker turned away from Cannes red carpet for wearing moccasins

A Dene filmmakersays he was turned away from the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festivalbecause he was wearing moccasins.

Kelvin Redvers, who is from the Northwest Territories andworks in B.C., says he hopes the incident isa learning moment for event organizers and that it helps expand the festival's idea of what counts as formal wear.

Redverstravelled to France as part of a delegation of sixIndigenous filmmakers with support fromTelefilm, theIndigenous Screen Office, and Capilano University's FILMBA program.

He wasinvited to a red carpet screening of Valeria Bruni Tedeschi's Les Amandiers.Canneshas strict rules around formal wear on the red carpet black tie for men, evening gowns for women but there are accommodations for traditional formal wear, such as Scottish kilts or Indian saris.

Redvers thought his moccasins, paired with a tux, wouldqualify.

"For me, these moccasins are ceremonial,they're formal, basically," he said onCBC's On The Coast Friday. "So I'm going to wear a great tux, I'm going to look super good but I'm gonna insert just a little bit of Indigeneity."

Redvers had the moccasins in a bag as he went through the first security checkpoint, he said. Heslipped them on andwasthen flaggedby securityat a second checkpoint, who told him he couldn't wear moccasins.

"I was like, 'No, no. This is formal for me, I'm Dene,'" he said.

A French-speaking member of Redvers' cohort tried to discuss the situation with security. Eventually, Redvers said, a security guard had had enough.

"I guess he hit his limit and rather aggressively, simply put his foot down, to 'leave, leave, leave now, leave,'" he said.

WATCH |Dene filmmaker on being turned away at Cannes for wearing moccasins

Cannes security turned away this Dene filmmaker for wearing moccasins

2 years ago

Duration 7:02

Dene filmmaker Kelvin Redvers travelled to the Cannes Film Festival as part of a delegation of six Indigenous filmmakers. Redvers says he was turned away from the red carpet because he was wearing moccasins.

Redvers was eventuallyallowed back on the red carpet after swapping footwear, but he saidthe incident left him and his contingent upset.

"I really was quite shocked at this aggressive treatment for what was such a thing of excitement for me," he said.

Redvers, the Indigenous Screen Office and Telefilm metwith festivalorganizers, who offered an apology. He was then invited to wear moccasins to a red carpet screening of Canadian director David Cronenberg'snew film Crimes of the Futureon Monday. He said he met some resistance upon arrival, but was eventually waved through.

Redverssays he hopes his red carpet experience has starteda conversation among Cannesofficials about the nuance of traditional formal wear.

Part of his run-in, he said, could be attributed to the fact that so few Indigenous peoplehave attended Cannes.

"I guess they just hadn't had exposure to something like this pair of beaded moccasins with moose hide," he said.

He says he hopes thatis changing, and addsthat Cannesis more than red carpets, it is also a time to network. He says all six Indigenous filmmakers made industry contacts that they are hopeful will leadto funding and distribution dealsfor their projects.

"All of us ...are, we believe, so close to havingour films premiere and just making a presence at festivals like this because we've all got great projects going on and there's a lot ofgreat talent coming up."

CBC has reached out to the Cannes Film Festival for comment.