A French actor stripped naked on stage during a reduced César awards ceremony in Paris to protest against the government’s closure of theaters and cinemas during the coronavirus pandemic.
Corinne Masiero wrote ‘no culture no future’ on her chest and ‘give our art back Jean’ on her back, in a message to Prime Minister Jean Castex.
Masiero, 57, was on stage to present the award for best costume, and wore a donkey outfit and a blood-stained dress before stripping in front of the audience.
France’s response to the Oscars: the ceremony is the biggest night on the French cinema calendar in normal times, but on Friday there were no flashbulbs on the red carpet and no partners on the arms of awards.
The ceremony took place in a theater as anger and frustration grew among actors, musicians and artists because the government was unwilling to set a date for the reopening of museums, galleries, concert halls and movie houses.
Marina Foïs, one of France’s best-known comedians, called on the government to close theaters and cinemas in a speech to open the ceremony.
Foïs, who hosted the evening, criticized Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot for taking the time to write a book during the Covid-19 crisis, saying, “I’m losing faith in you.”
She also criticized the French government’s broad strategy to combat the virus, as business in the country was 4 million higher.
“They renovated our children, closed our cinemas and theaters and banned concerts so that they could open churches, because we are a secular country, so that old people can go to church,” she said. Most French people are Roman Catholic.
Throughout the capital, dozens of protesters occupied the Odeon Theater for an eighth night, demanding that cultural venues reopen and receive more financial support.