Sexual harassment hotline to be set up at Cannes film festival

A helpline to report sexual harassment of women at the Cannes Film Festival will be set up following four alleged attacks at the event in the past by disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Marlene Schiappa, France’s gender equality minister, said industry grandees would be warned to watch their behaviour when they arrive at the world’s most prestigious film festival, which takes place in the Riviera resort next month, reports telegraph.co.uk.

“We’ve gone into partnership with the Cannes Film Festival to tackle sexual harassment and set up a helpline,” Ms. Schiappa said.

“One of the rapes that Harvey Weinstein is accused of happened at Cannes, and so the festival cannot fail to act.”

She said the measures were aimed at protecting not only actors but all women working in or around the film industry.

The Cannes festival has come under fire in the past for alleged sexism, notably over the obligation for women to wear high-heeled shoes on the red carpet.

Weinstein is accused of four sexual assaults at Cannes in recent years including the alleged rape of a 21-year-old Italian actor Asia Argento.

With the #MeToo movement in the headlines, the Cannes film festival organisers face heightened scrutiny over the role of women at the festival, which runs from May 8 to 19.