Cannes Film Festival Will Not Permit Selfies

As the stars get ready to hit the red carpet for Cannes Film Festival, they might want to make a note to keep their phones in their pockets or in their handbags. It has officially been announced that Cannes Film Festival will ban all selfies this year. The festival will run this year from May 13 to May 24, and although it is definitely about the big screen, the festival is asking that the small screens don't make an appearance.

According to Complex, the festival's director, Theirry Fremaux, broke the news to all selfie-fanatics this week saying that selfies just take up too much time:

"We don’t want to prohibit it but it’s really a matter of timing. We have a certain amount of time to get people across the red carpet and up the steps and it really slows things down if people stop every two meters to take a picture of themselves, with themselves."

That is actually a pretty justifiable reason, as it is common to take more than 100 selfies before we get to just the right one. And, although the shutter moves quite fast on our phones, finding the right angle, right lighting, and right friends to invite to be in the picture with us could certainly take up more time than necessary. But timing isn't the only reason Fremaux is axing the selfie this year; he's actually not quite fond of them to begin with, telling UK-based website, Grazia that the whole taking a picture of yourself thing is "a practice that's often extremely ridiculous and grotesque." He even called the banning a campaign "to slow down the contemporary practice."

This might seem a bit extreme, and although Fremaux didn't share how he plans on patrolling celebrities to ensure that they aren't extending their arm to snag a picture or two, his serious tone suggests that there will be no passes (except those permitting you to get into the festival, of course). However, he isn't the only one making such bans. Prior to Coachella, those organizing the festival announced that they would not be permitting selfie sticks. It seems festival-goers are going to have to simply live in the moment this year instead of living through their photo streams. Bummer.

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