One security guard reportedly acknowledged that the fiasco was “unacceptable.”
The 2023 Cannes Film Festival got off to a rocky start after hundreds of festival goers were reportedly turned away from screening Pedro Almodovar’s “Strange Way of Life.”
Despite having tickets to the event, security announced the theater reached capacity after people waited for more than an hour in pouring rain. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the event was scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. at the 1,068-seat Théâtre Claude Debussy for a viewing of the film followed by a conversation with Almodovar.
Getty
Johnny Depp Gets Over Five-Minute Standing Ovation at Cannes, Teary-Eyed At Film Screening
View Story
Fans were instructed to arrive by 2:25 p.m. but security began notifying the crowd that they would not be getting into the event and needed to leave. Among notable guests who were turned away were Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Janet Yang.
According to the publication, there was no clear explanation for the situation, which also should have been impossible due to the festival’s digital booking system. One security guard reportedly acknowledged that the fiasco was “unacceptable.”
Some guests were allegedly concerned about receiving a “Strike” for missing a screening for which they’d already RSVPed; only three strikes are allowed before credentials are terminated.
Getty
Johnny Depp Addresses Controversial Cannes Appearance, Comeback and Whether He Feels ‘Boycotted by Hollywood’
View Story
“Strange Way of Life” is Almodovar’s highly-anticipated 31-minute gay Western starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal.
“I was interested in doing things that have not been done in the Western before,” Almodovar said of the project in an interview with Indie Wire.
He also shared that fans of “The Mandalorian” and “The Last of Us” can especially look forward to Pascal’s performance.
“I think it really shows a range of registers he can hit that people haven’t given him yet,” Almodovar continued. “I hope the audience can appreciate that.”
