Gilles Jacob, President of the Cannes Film Festival has responded to Iranian authorities who were outraged after he shared a peck on the cheek with Iranian actress Leila Hatami.
The 83-year-old the festival director took to Twitter and wrote that it was he who had kissed the actress and the storm based on a normal Western custom is baseless, the Hollywood Reporter reported.
Earlier, Hatami, who is amongst Iran's well known stars, was blasted by Iranian authorities after she and Jacob had greeted each other in customary French way, with the country's deputy culture minister, Hossein Noushabadi, stating that those who attend intentional events should take heed of the credibility so the image of Iranian women doesn't get tarnished.