The Cannes Film Festival reaffirmed its plans to screen Terry Gilliam’s long-delayed “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” despite a lawsuit by producer Paulo Branco seeking to block the closing-night screening at next month’s festival.
“We strongly affirm that we stand squarely on the side of filmmakers and in particular on the side of Terry Gilliam,” festival president Pierre Lescure and general delegate Thierry Frémaux said in a statement. “The trouble were caused on this last occasion by the actions of a producer who has shown his true colours once and for all during this episode and who has threatened us, via his lawyer, with a ‘humiliating defeat.'”
Branco, a producer who was attached to “Don Quixote” but left after pre-production disputes, filed suit last Wednesday seeking an injunction to prevent Cannes from screening the film. His lawyer issued a statement claiming that Gilliam needs Branco’s permission to screen the film.
A judge is expected to rule on Branco’s suit on May 7, at the start of the festival. The film is currently scheduled to screen on the event’s closing night, May 19, timed to its release on 300 screens in France.
Festival organizers couldn’t resist taking a swipe at Branco himself. “As Mr Branco has so far been very prominent in the media and legal spheres it seems necessary to state the reasons which led us to choose the film and risk action by the producer, whose lawyer, Juan Branco, likes to point out that his image and his credibility are essentially built on his numerous appearances at Cannes and by his closeness to the great auteurs honoured by the Festival,” Lescure and Frémaux said. “The latter is true, which adds to our bemusement.”
The festival organizers also framed the issue as one of free expression. “Defeat would be to succumb to threats,” they wrote, citing the fact that “two filmmakers invited to take part in the Official Selection are under house arrest in their own countries.”
“It is more important than ever to remember that artists need us to support them, not attack them,” they wrote. “That has always been the tradition of the Festival de Cannes and so it will remain.”
A rep for Amazon Studios, which is releasing the film domestically, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 17 Tackiest Cannes PR Stunts, From Blake Lively's Sharks to Sacha Baron Cohen's Mankini (Photos)
From a faux terrorist attack to sharks in the French Riviera, promoters often miss the mark with their gaudy Cannes PR stunts.
Getty Images
Faux “Terror Raid” to Promote Oraxy Guests at Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc got a surprise visit by men outfitted in militia-themed gear last year, who approached the hotel by boat. It was a publicity stunt for the Paris-based Oraxy, which describes itself as “the world’s first private global marketplace reserved exclusively for UHNWI,” or Ultra High Net Worth Individuals.
Splash News
Sacha Baron Cohen Wears Green Mankini In 2006, Sacha Baron Cohen sported a bright green male thong known as the “mankini” to promote “Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.”
Twitter
Sacha Baron Cohen Brings a Camel In 2012, “The Dictator” actor turned up with two model bodyguards and a camel. He even managed to fall off the camel, which bore a license plate with “Wadiya 1” on it – a reference to the fictional North African Republic of Wadiya, where “The Dictator” was set.
YouTube
T.J. Miller Parachutes in to Debut "Emoji Movie" Trailer To promote Sony’s “The Emoji Movie,” T.J. Miller parasailed into Cannes before unveiling a trailer for the film, in which he voices Gene, the Meh emoji. Emojis don't feel very Cannes.
Getty Images
"The Shallows" Brings in Fake Sharks To promote Blake Lively's nautical horror film, Screen Gems planted fake sharks in the French Riviera.
Getty Images
Faux Snow for "A Christmas Carol" Disney tapped Jim Carrey for a new version of “A Christmas Carol” in 2009 — and decided to bring the holiday spirit to Cannes by covering the Croisette with snow. Not the best example of reading the room or, in this case, the luxurious French beach town in the middle of May. Shout out to Robin Wright and Colin Firth in the background for looking horrified at the faux snowball fight.
Getty Images
Jerry Seinfeld Flies In to Promote "Bee Movie" In 2007, Jerry Seinfeld took Cannes by air to promote his big animated push for Disney, for which he served as writer and star and recruited pals like Chris Rock. His giant bee costume might have been worse than his notorious “Seinfeld” puffy shirt.
Getty Images
Angelina Jolie, Will Smith Ride Inflatable Shark Will Smith, Angelina Jolie and Jack Black rode a 14-foot inflatable shark to promote "Shark Tale" in 2004.
Getty Images
"Trolls" Wigs Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake promoted "Trolls" in 2016 with an array of women wearing bright-colored outfits and wigs reminiscent of the costumes in the movie. Also, they're all in gowns -- a play on Cannes fashion?
Getty Images
Gaspar Noe’s Graphic Makeout Posters to Promote “Love” Gaspar Noe at first shocked -- and then satisfied -- critics with his depiction of sex on film. He was praised for depicting the joyous and fervent act and staying mostly out of the realm of straight-up pornography. Promoting the film, however, was a different story. Producers wallpapered Cannes in posters of a saliva-covered triple kiss and an NSFW image of a penis and a woman's breast after climax.
Indiewire
Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme Hold Impromptu Stage Fight Both "Universal Soldier" actors held a stage fight on the steps of a famed staircase in 1992. Many believed it was real, but Lundgren told The Hollywood Reporter that it was planned.
TriStar
Dead pigeons for "24 Hour Party People" In 2002, actors impersonating the band Happy Mondays mimicked a scene of the movie by throwing fake dead pigeons from the beach onto unsuspecting victims, who believed thousands of dead birds were falling from the sky, the BBC reported.
Film4
Naked Bike Rides Felix van Groeningen, the filmmaker behind “The Misfortunates,” decided to recreate a scene from his film where a dysfunctional family rides bikes in the nude. Just hours before a press conference, the director and his team disrobed and flew down the Croisette in the buff. A staffer on a motorcycle followed with their underwear, in case French police got a gander at them.
Getty Images
The Cast of "The Expendables 3" Comes Out in Three Tanks
Producer Avi Lerner got three English World War II-era tanks into France to promote "The Expendables 3" in 2014. This wasn't all fun and games, as Lerner had to sign an affidavit to the government of France to ensure that his stunt wasn't interpreted as a declaration of war.
Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images
Howard Stern and His "Private Parts"
Radio legend Howard Stern had a 40-foot inflated balloon of himself naked near the beach to promote his 1997 biopic "Private Parts." However, France's then-President Jaques Chirac was visiting Cannes and his security detail considered the balloon too crude to remain up. Though when Chirac left, Stern and his team reinflated it.
AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau
It's a Bird! It's a Plane!
To promote "Superman," Alexander Salkind--who was the film's supervisor--and Ilya, his son, hired prop planes to fly around the Croisette in 1975. In 1976, they got even more planes and in 1977, they hired a whole fleet of planes.
Warner Bros. Pictures/Photofest
Arnold Schwarzenegger's Muscle Pose
While promoting his bodybuilding-centered documentary film, "Pumping Iron," Arnold Schwarzenegger posed in a Speedo with a group of fully-clothed women to a beach audience.
AP Photo
1 of 18
The glamorous festival has seen some crazy PR stunts over the years
From a faux terrorist attack to sharks in the French Riviera, promoters often miss the mark with their gaudy Cannes PR stunts.