A few days in and Cannes Film Festival 2025 has already started generating buzz over its red carpet moments. Do these new guidelines affect the festival though? Let's discuss!
Cannes has always been as much about cinema as it has been about moments, especially the ones that take place on the red carpet. Over the years, that red carpet has seen everything from wild silhouettes to skin-baring statements. I mean, who hasn’t dreamt of walking that carpet, flashes going off on both sides as paparazzi click you on your way to those holy steps! But something feels a little different this year.
In a bit of a last-minute twist, Cannes dropped some fresh red carpet guidelines - no nudity, no “voluminous” outfits. Why? "For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as in any other area of the festival. The aim is not to regulate attire, per se, but to prohibit full nudity on the red carpet, in accordance with the institutional framework of the event and French law. The festival reserves the right to deny access to individuals whose attire could obstruct the movement of other guests or complicate seating arrangements in the screening rooms.”
Fashion, glitz, and glamour are like the side-stitched sisters of cinema. So it’s inevitable for a film festival red carpet to become infamous. However, what happens when it starts to overshadow the films itself? Given how the festival has gotten more crowded over the years, it's hard to manage that while maintaining a smooth flow of the festival. Maybe that's why Cannes is trying to ensure that nothing disrupts the experience for other guests or interferes with the screenings but many think of this "decency" Cannes code as policing fashion. And hence, for a red carpet known for making risqué statements, these new rules stirred up some reactions online. After all, Cannes is where a daring dress speaks as loudly as a film. From feathers, sheers, body accessories to naked gowns, the carpet has always been a space to express fashion statements. Now, with these new guardrails, it leaves an inevitable question: is this a clampdown or just a change of tone?
The timing of the announcement didn’t help either. Word of the new code came close to the start of the festival. Halle Berry, who’s on the jury this year, even mentioned she had to switch out of a Gaurav Gupta dress at the last minute because it had a train, but on the second day, she was seen in a voluminous gown. But while the first day it looked like she was the only one who got the memo as Bella Hadid showed up in a backless black dress with a thigh-high slit; Heidi Klum wore a dramatic gown with a long trail trailing behind her. Eva Longoria followed suit. Chinese actor Guan Xiaotong’s dress was full volume, too. And on the Indian front, Urvashi Rautela and Farhana Bodi were also spotted in trail-heavy, larger-than-life gowns.
This raised more questions: were the rules too last-minute or too vague? Because how does one define “voluminous” and “nudity” precisely? How big is too big, or how sheer is too sheer? And if these rules were being enforced in a way where celebs not adhering to them wouldn't be allowed entry to the festival, how did these stars still make it to the carpet? These questions are still not answered!
It’s only two days of the festival, and the buzz already afoot has possibly made Cannes 2025 the year when the red carpet that has witnessed many controversies itself becomes one. It remains to be seen whether the code gets followed over the next few days or if defying it will become a quiet protest, something Cannes hasn't seen in an age! The only win in this mess? They seem to have loosened up on the 'heels' rule. Celebs are now allowed to wear flat shoes on the carpet, which comes as a relief for many, as echoed by Juliette Binoche, who heads this year’s jury.
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