A French actor has been stripped naked on stage at a scaled-down César Awards ceremony in Paris to protest the government’s closure of theaters and cinemas during the coronavirus pandemic.
Corinne Masiero had written “no culture no future” on her chest and “give back our art Jean” on her back, in a message to the Prime Minister, Jean Castex.
Masiero, 57, was on stage to present the award for the best costume and wore a donkey suit and a blood-stained dress before undressing in front of the audience.
France’s answer to the Oscars, the ceremony is normally the biggest night on the French cinema calendar, but on Friday there were no flashlights on the red carpet and no partners on nominees’ arms.
The ceremony took place in a theater as anger and frustration builds among actors, musicians and performers over the government’s reluctance to set a date for the reopening of museums, galleries, concert halls and movie houses.
Marina Foïs, one of France’s best-known comedians, aimed for the government to close theaters and cinemas in a searing speech to open the ceremony.
Foïs, who hosted the evening, criticized Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot for finding time to write a book during the Covid-19 crisis, saying, “I’m losing faith in you.”
She also criticized the broader strategy of the French government to combat the virus, as the number of cases in the country exceeded 4 million.
“They locked up our young people, closed our cinemas and theaters and banned concerts so they could open churches because we are a secular country so old people could go to church,” she said. The majority of the French are Roman Catholic.
On the other side of the capital, several dozen protesters occupied the Odeon Theater for an eighth night, demanding that cultural venues be reopened and for more financial support.