Cannes Film Festival was once ruled by sex bully Harvey Weinstein and is now dominated by shameless celebs plugging brands – it must change

AMIDST the back-slapping, champagne slurping and selfie-free events at the Cannes Film Festival, there’s a paranoid mood in the air.

In fact, the unseasonably stormy weather that kicked off the 71st gathering of the world’s film elite felt indicative of the pressures on a festival very much in crisis mode as A-listers in their droves stayed away.

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There’s one name no one dares mention in public but is discussed almost constantly by huddled groups of mainly-male executives... Weinstein.

It’s impossible to think just a year ago that the unpleasant oaf ruled the Croisette and the luxurious Hotel du Cap around the corner – Cannes was his playground.

His playground to bully staff and journalists. His playground to woo young actresses. His playground to secure his infamous "deals" with women, who have since come forward to reveal they were sexually harassed or even raped while here.

At the height of the scandal last year, I revealed how one Weinstein target at the festival was Myleene Klass, who he demanded lunch with and then proceeded to make his sex pitch, even having a personal assistant on hand to deliver whatever contract he expected the then CNN film presenter to sign. Of course, she didn’t.

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Even the previously untouchable AmFar charity event is feeling the pinch – with publicity-conscious celebs like Sharon Stone and Pharrell Williams being forced to very publicly pull out this year and avoid the taint of Weinstein.

It’s clear his behaviour was only the tip of the iceberg as rich male Hollywood execs made Cannes one of their favourite all-expenses-paid weeks away from their wives.

Drug use and high-class prostitution has been rife during the festival, according to many Sun investigations over the years.

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The very French event really needs to modernise but doesn’t know how.

The ridiculous decision to ban “grotesque” selfies from the red carpet this year attracted the headlines bosses were after but didn’t address any of the main issues.

I’ve been outraged for the last few years how organisers invite the latest in a long line of glamorous celebs – everyone from Cheryl Tweedy to Cara Delevingne – to the big premieres, only to allow them to leave after walking the red carpet without watching a second of the film to head to a paid appearance for a brand.

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Yes, this is a festival so focused on brazen commercialism that the films are a virtual irrelevance.

Model Bella Hadid was here for Magnum ice cream this year, while serious actor Jake Gyllenhaal didn’t bother turning up for his own premiere.

Luvvie French bosses have only made that situation worse by shunning streaming services like Netflix altogether – despite those companies making a massive investment in the genre.

And they seem to intent to make the selection of films in competition for the prestigious Palme D'Or award as uncommercial and remote as humanly possible.

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The Cannes moments that live on in film history – the discovery of young talents like Brigette Bardot and Arnold Schwarzenegger, royalty like Princess Grace of Monaco and Diana, and even the Spice Girls and Sacha Baron Cohen causing carnage as Borat – feel like distant memories.

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If these French snobs and American creeps carry on like they are, the very survival of the Cannes Film Festival is at stake.

And who will mourn a festival that made Harvey Weinstein its undisputed king?

BELLA Hadid took her corporate endorsement with Magnum ice cream to a new level at the festival - by using their beachside event to reunite with her famous ex.

She snogged The Weeknd openly in front of guests at the bash and they then left together.

She certainly was in good spirits at the event - but of course avoided the special bar where you could create your own golden Magnum.

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Wootton's Week

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MORE buzz in Cannes this week around a new film about a lad from Luton whose life was transformed by the music of Bruce Springsteen.

Blinded by the Light is a comedy drama directed by Gurinder Chadha - who made Bend it like Beckham and starring Rob Brydon and Sally Phillips.

Based on journalist Sarfraz Manzoor's memoir Greetings from Bury Park, it only finished filming last weekend, but is attracting all the right noises from execs, suggesting big future success.

The film is said to have the blessing of The Boss himself, who read and liked Manzoor's book.