Halle Berry forced to ditch ‘amazing’ gown after Cannes ‘naked dress’ ban

The nudity ban comes after a number of celebrities opting for extremely sheer dresses on red carpets, including Berry herself, who wore a gown with sheer panels to the Met Gala last week.

Despite her own recent fashion choices, Berry said: “The nudity part I do think is probably also a good rule.”

Dress codes have become a talking point for the festival, which in 2015 stated that women had to wear high heels on the red carpet.

This year’s festival began in the shadow of the conviction of French film star Gerard Depardieu, who was found guilty of sexually assaulting two women.

Speaking as the head of the festival’s competition jury, actress Juliette Binoche said that he was “not a monster” but “a man”. She added that it was necessary to “think very carefully” about how much power is given to men within the film industry.

The 61-year-old actress refused to be drawn on her views on the Israel-Gaza conflict. However, she urged the audience to think of the hostages taken by Hamas and also those who “live in fear” in Gaza.

She then shared her sadness at the death of Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who was killed in an Israeli air strike on April 16, and shared her hopes that Cannes could do its bit to promote peace. Hassouna is the subject of a film, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, being screened at an independent film festival that runs parallel to Cannes.

The ceremony also featured Leonardo DiCaprio, who took to the stage to present Robert De Niro with an honorary Palme d’Or.

Accepting the award, De Niro, a vocal opponent of US President Donald Trump, denounced “America’s philistinism president” and condemned talk of tariffs on the film industry.