An Indigenous Producer Was Turned Away From the Cannes Red Carpet For Wearing Moccasins
Last Sunday at the Cannes Film Festival in France, Indigenous film producer Kelvin Redvers (Dene) was in line to walk the red carpet for the premiere of Valeria Bruni Tedeschi’s Les Amandiers. Knowing the step and repeat at Cannes is always a paparazzi-filled spectacle, the Vancouver-based Redvers wanted to use the opportunity to highlight and celebrate his own Indigenous culture, by wearing a pair of traditional moccasins. “I was hoping to wear an example of something that would be formal for my culture, which was a beautiful pair of moccasins that were actually beaded by my sister,” Redvers told Variety. Before he could do so, however, Redvers was stopped by red carpet security, barred from entering, and asked to leave until he changed into “regular” dress shoes.