The 78th Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off today has expressly bannes "any form of nudity" and "excessively voluminous outfits" from the red carpet and all festival areas. Security teams have been told to turn away anyone who breaks the rule as the 2025 edition opens this week. "For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet," a festival memo stated. Furthermore, the memo also added that sprawling trains or towering sculptural dresses that obstruct stairs or seating will also be refused.
Interestingly, sheer and naked dresses are the current vouge of the season. "The Festival welcoming teams will be obligated to prohibit red carpet access to anyone not respecting these rules," the note concluded. Insiders say that the Festival is reacting to the rising 'naked dressing' trend which is overshadowing the film premiers at the festival over the years.
![' Awful': Bella Hadid goes bold opts for see-through dress, flaunts her asset; leaves very little to imagine at Cannes red carpet [reactions]](https://data1.ibtimes.co.in/en/full/798067/awful-bella-hadid-goes-bold-opts-see-through-dress-flaunts-her-asset-leaves-very-little.jpg?h=450&l=50&t=40 "' Awful': Bella Hadid goes bold opts for see-through dress, flaunts her asset; leaves very little to imagine at Cannes red carpet [reactions]")
Last year, supermodel Bella Hadid made her appearance in a transluscent Saint Laurent column, reigniting calls for clearer guidelines ahead of this year's festival.
What are premitted?
Celebrities can still wear sheer fabrics, thigh-high slits and dramatic trains—if the garment keeps intimate areas covered and doesn't block the stairs. Festival spokespersons insist the update is about "respect, safety and smooth crowd flow," not policing style. Yet the move draws a lot of debate among fashionistas and fashion brands.
Meanwhile, India is showing up in full force at the festival this year. Mumbai filmmaker Payal Kapadia – fresh off last year's Grand Prix win – will be part of the main panel led by Juliette Binoche. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the festival's long-time queen, returns for her 22nd year while Alia Bhatt makes her much-talked-about Cannes debut as a L'Oréal global ambassador.
Janhvi Kapoor, with co-star Ishaan Khatter and producer Karan Johar, will promote Homebound. Sharmila Tagore will walk for the Ray classic screening and fashion regulars Urvashi Rautela and (reportedly) mum-to-be Kiara Advani are poised to spark style chatter.
Indian Films at Cannes 2025
Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan returns to Cannes with Homebound a decade after Masaan; Martin Scorsese is exec-producer. Sharmila Tagore will lead the pristine 4K restoration of Satyajit Ray's 1970 gem Aranyer Din Ratri bows in Cannes Classics. Anupam Kher's debut feature Tanvi the Great hunts for global buyers in the Marché du Film; and Kolkata-made student short A Doll Made Up of Clay competes in the La Cinef school section.
