Actress Massiel Taveras Clashes with Security over Jesus Crown of Thorns Dress at Cannes Film Festival

BY : Milton Quintanilla Crosswalk Headlines Contributor

The 77th Cannes Film Festival was marked by controversy when a female security guard clashed with Dominican actress Massiel Taveras when she tried to display the train of her dress depicting Jesus Christ wearing a crown of thorns. The incident was captured on video and posted to social media, which showed a visibly upset Taveras pushing ushers away whenever they rushed her up the stairs whenever she wanted to show off her dress, which had a hand-painted image of Jesus Christ. As reported by Deadline, the dress was designed by Giannina Azar and while the image of Christ was painted by Yan Páez.

The incident follows a similar altercation at the at the premiere of the French film “Marcello Mio,” between actress Kelly Rowland and the same female security guard who clashed with Taveras. The woman knows what happened, I know what happened,” Rowland told The Associated Press about the incident last Tuesday.

“I have a boundary and I stand by those boundaries, and that is it,” she added. “And there were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me, and they didn’t get that scolding, or pushed off, or told to get off. I stood my ground, and she felt like she had to stand hers. But I stood my ground.”

“We need respect,” wrote Taveras on Instagram as she reshared posts of Rowland’s experience.

Another incident at the Cannes Film Festival that drew controversy was when Karla Sofia Gascon, a 46-year-old Spanish, trans-identified male actor, jointly won the Best Actress award for the roles in Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez.”

“We all have the opportunity to change for the better, to be better people,” Gascon said during the acceptance speech. “If you have made us suffer, it is time for you also to change.”

According to The Christian Post, Gascon shared the Best Actress award with Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana and Adriana Paz. The news of Gascon’s win was met with a mixed response online, including from former trans activist Oli London.

“Transgender man wins best ACTRESS award at the Cannes Film Festival,” wrote London, the author of Gender Madness, on X.

“Karla Sofía Gascón the star of Emilia Pérez, a film described as a “trans gangster musical” accepted the best actress award on behalf of the female members of the cast,” he added.