Palm d'Or winner Justine Triet stirs a row after she slams French govt in acceptance speech at Cannes
The prestigious Palm d’Or went to a French director on Saturday night at the Cannes Film Festival, but President Emmanuel Macron was not celebrating because Justine Triet made a fiery political speech that took aim at the French government’s handling of weeks of protests on the streets.
After being introduced on stage by Jane Fonda and thanking her partners on the film and Cannes’ jury, Triet said that the country “was rocked by an unprecedented protest movement that was extremely powerful and unanimous against the pensions reform”.
France’s Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak was first to react to Triet’s comments on Twitter, saying she was “flabbergasted by her speech so unfair”. Abdul Malak continued, “This film wouldn’t have seen the light of day without our French model of film financing which allows for a unique diversity in the world. Let’s not forget it.”
