The series reflect our contemporary societies and their upheavals. War in Ukraine, Iranian revolt, pension reform and 49.3… Like the wind of protest that blew onto the stage of the Palais des Festivals in Cannes in 1968, the news has come to the fore several times at Series Mania. The ransom of success?
Iranian women on the purple carpet
It all started on the purple carpet at the opening night of Series Mania last Friday. The festival welcomed the guest of honor for its 6th edition, the star of Succession, Brian Cox. At his side, his wife Nicole Ansari-Cox moved by wearing a shawl in tribute to Iranian women where it was embroidered “woman, life, freedom”.
“I’m so proud of her. She is half Iranian. Iranian and Afghan women are going through terrible times. This is unacceptable. Tehran is completely hypocritical. Women can have access to the best universities, but after all the doors close. They don’t have access to any opportunities. This suffering, this repression shows how much the patriarchy is a failure. It’s time to switch to matriarchy, ”defended her husband, Brian Cox, during a round table in front of a handful of journalists.
Ukraine and Afghan Women in the New Century
“We are gathered for a week of celebrations, discoveries around international series and those who make them”, launched Laurence Herzberg, on the stage of the New Century, which hosts the opening ceremony and screenings.
The general director of the festival then wanted to recall: “A year ago, in this same room, I welcomed on this stage the president of the jury, Julia Sinkevych, a Ukrainian producer when the war had just broken out in Ukraine. , unfortunately the war is not over, I have a thought for Julia and all Ukrainians. And to continue: “I would like to associate the Iranian people, salute the extraordinary courage of Iranian women, and have a more than moved and united thought for Afghan women”.
Pension reform and 49.3 at Tripostal
This Sunday at the Théâtre du Nord as part of Series Mania, Florence Aubenas, great reporter for the newspaper The world, and Pierre Haski, columnist for France Inter and president of the Reporters Without Borders association, had arranged to meet the festival-goers for a conference on a fascinating, alas, eminently topical theme: “Can we represent war in series? ? “.
This conference was interrupted by the unexpected arrival on the scene of about twenty demonstrators opposed to the pension reform, brandishing a banner “49.3: war in the street, not on your screens”, denouncing series disconnected from reality . The organization of the festival allowed the demonstrators to speak for a few moments and a dialogue with the public was established. “Sorry to have given the impression that we are doing entertainment, we do not have the impression of doing that when we do our reports”, defended Florence Aubenas, once the conference resumed normally.
Several dozen opponents of the pension reform also entered the Tripostal on Monday, just before the awarding of the Vidocq prize for the police series to E-syndrome, adaptation of a novel by Franck Thilliez for TF1. An intervention not chosen at random since the jury for this award is essentially composed of members of the police.
After putting pressure on security to force the doors, the protesters, mostly students, accompanied by the SUD-Rail union in Lille, were allowed to enter calmly by the organization of the festival.
Protesters against pension reform also gave voice as Marcia Cross, the unforgettable Bree Van De Kamp of Desperate Housewives, was taking selfies with her fans on the festival’s purple carpet just before the screening of the Norwegian series TheFortress. The protesters caused a stampede. The police quickly intervened.
From stars to festival directors and protesters, Séries Mania has become a place for expressing indignation or solidarity towards certain causes and a space for demands. Their objective is similar, all take advantage of an internationally publicized event to convey messages. This proves, if it were still necessary, the popularity of the series and the vitality of Series Mania.