Cannes red carpet protest: 'Brazil is not a democracy'

[Judi Lynn]

4. 'Brazil is not a democracy': Cannes contender's cast stage red carpet protest

'Brazil is not a democracy': Cannes contender's cast stage red carpet protest

The cast and crew of Aquarius, a highly-regarded Brazilian film in Cannes, held aloft banners proclaiming ‘A coup took place in Brazil’ and ‘We will resist’ at the official premiere

Catherine Shoard
@catherineshoard
Tuesday 17 May 2016 10.48 EDT

The cast and crew of Aquarius, an acclaimed Brazilian drama in competition at Cannes have used the film’s official premiere to mount a protest as what they see as a coup in their country.

Writer-director Kleber Mendonca Filho, along with his cast and crew, climbed the steps to the Palais in Cannes before revealing a selection of banners apparently objecting to the recent impeachment of president Dilma Rousseff.

The protest was met by ecstatic applause inside the cinema. Audience members then joined in by holding aloft similar banners.
Aquarius is about an ageing music critic, played by Sonia Braga, eager to remain in her apartment despite developer pressure. Yet it is not an overtly political film, instead meditating on shifting familial allegiances and the way space intersects with identity.

The film was made before the current political crisis in Brazil, which has seen the country’s first female president forced from office, protesting her innocence about the crimes of which she has been accused.

More:
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/17/brazil-is-not-a-democracy-aquarius-premiere-cannes-red-carpet-protest