Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Fremaux was concerned enough about French comedian Laurent Lafitte's rape joke on the opening night of the gala that he immediately approached Woody Allen after the ceremony to make sure he wasn't offended.
Lafitte drew gasps from the audience with the joke that referred to the sexual assault allegations against the 80-year-old, who is in France to promote his film "Cafe Society".
The director told Fremaux he is actually a fan of "provocative" humour. At a Thursday luncheon celebrating "Cafe Society", he told variety.com that he is a proponent of free speech and therefore didn't take it personally.
It's unclear whether Lafitte's joke was aimed at Allen and Roman Polanski or both.
Allen is in the headlines again after son Ronan Farrow penned a blistering op-ed article, faulting the media for not pressing the filmmaker on allegations he sexually abused his daughter, Dylan Farrow.
--IANS
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