Bodyguards services and celebrity protection

PROTECTION OF THE CELEBRITIES PARTICIPATING IN THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

The 71^st edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

The Cannes Festival (in French: Festival de Cannes) is one of the most popular events celebrating cinema in the world. From the opening ceremony to the awarding of the Palme d’Or and the famous red steps, the entire film industry is in the public eye since more than 70 years and benefits from an incomparable international influence.

The 2018 edition, which will be held from May 8th to 19th and will be chaired by committed actress Cate Blanchett, already promises to bring together a large number of French and international stars, producers and celebrities under the spotlight. But it is only on April 12th that the official selection of films in competition will be unveiled to the general public, during a press conference at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France.

An event under tight scrutiny.

For several years, France has been living under a constant terrorist threat, and the recent attack of March 23rd, 2018, which occurred in Trèbes, south of the country, lengthens the already long list of jihadist attacks perpetrated on French soil. Indeed, despite a 719-day state of emergency and the new anti-terrorism law, the authorities are struggling to prevent all terrorist outbreaks, particularly due to the nearly inexhaustible number of potential targets and the different possible operating procedures. In this context, a life-size exercise was organized in Cannes on April 21st, 2016, simulating a terrorist attack during the Festival.

Regarding criminality, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region, where Cannes is located, is distinguished from the rest of the French territory by a high rate of homicides, armed robberies and victims of deliberate assault, as recently reported by the Ministry of Interior. The PACA region also holds the highest rate of burglaries and vehicle thefts from all over France, and comes second in terms of unarmed violent robberies and non-violent robberies after the Paris region.

Thus, for several years, the Cannes Film Festival faces many challenges, and similar to the greatest economic world summits, the city is placed under very tight scrutiny during the duration of its Festival. Unprecedented security measures, such as aircraft overflight bans and presence of patrollers in the Gulf of Napoule, come in addition to the 500 video-protection cameras already installed in the streets of the city, and to the important police and military deployment on the Boulevard de la Croisette.

Close protection of the Cannes Film Festival’s stars.

Terrorist and criminal threats are not the only issues to be taken into account by private bodyguards in charge of protecting celebrities and stars of the Cannes Film Festival.

Indeed, the city, which sees its population triple during the Festival, attracts every year a large number of fans from around the world in the hope of seeing their favorite idols. The gatherings of several of these admirers, especially those subject to excessive enthusiasm, can sometimes lead to dangerous crowd movements, or even scenes of mass hysteria, difficult to manage if not anticipated in time.

Bodyguards must also consider the presence of potentially dangerous persons, stalking or threatening, sometimes suffering from the celebrity worship syndrome. Because of the notoriety of the event and the publicity surrounding it, some of these individuals can manage to find confidential information about the celebrities and stars present in Cannes, and their acting out can take several forms, such as home intrusions while their victims are inside.

Finally, the admirers’ overzealous attempts at hugs and embraces, the repeated requests for autographs and selfies from followers, and the assaults and pursuits of some exalted paparazzi can turn into a nightmare when repeated over and over, they encroach on the private sphere of public figures, thus depriving them of any respite and intimacy.