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The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Telefilm Canada and the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) stepped in when Dene filmmaker Kelvin Redvers was turned away from a red carpet screening at the Cannes Film Festival for wearing moccasins with his tuxedo, breaching the festival’s dress code.
“It was hurtful and I was quite shocked, but I’m glad the festival saw the importance of me representing my culture and celebrating that at the gala,” said Redvers in a statement. “I look forward to seeing more cultural representation at festival red carpet events without incident.”
Kerry Swanson, co-executive director of the ISO, said the incident was “disappointing” but once the intervention was made on behalf of Redvers, who is from Hay River, N.W.T., the Cannes leadership “responded swiftly” and the filmmaker was admitted to the screening of David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future. ISO called on Cannes to update its red carpet fashion policy, offering to provide more information on Indigenous attire.
Redvers is based in Vancouver, and is in post production on a feature thriller called Cold Road, noted the Reporter. He also worked on the television series Moosemeat & Marmalade.
