Brazil stars at Cannes stage pro-Dilma protest on red carpet

Brazilian director Kleber Mendonca Filho and the team who worked on his new movie “Aquarius” staged a protest at the Cannes film festival Tuesday in support of unseated Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff.

The actors held up sheets of paper with the slogans “Stop the coup in Brazil”, “Brazil is not a democracy anymore” and “54,501,118 votes set on fire” after turning to face the photographers as they walked up the red carpet for the screening of “Aquarius”.

One opened his tuxedo shirt to reveal a T-shirt showing an image of “Super Dilma”.

The cast, which includes telenovela superstar Sonia Braga, were cheered when they entered the cinema to take their seats, where a few audience members also unfurled a banner saying “Stop the coup in Brazil”.

“One of the things that worries me the most is the way Brazil is divided. I can’t remember Brazil ever being this divided,” Braga told AFP before the film’s screening.

“We have to start doing things together again. We have to realise that, in any case, in two years we will vote for a new president,” she added.

Rousseff later tweeted to the cast, saying “Thank you for your support!”

The left-wing leader was replaced by acting President Michel Temer last week after months of street protests calling for her to go.

The Senate voted to open an impeachment trial on charges that Rousseff illegally manipulated the budget.

But her ousting sparked more street demonstrations and controversy over the absence of female ministers in Temer’s interim government.

“Aquarius”, a domestic drama which has been well received by critics, is one of 21 films in the running for the Palme d’Or at the world’s most important movie festival.