With the Cannes Film Festival already on high alert, a PR stunt for a French company did nothing to help the jittery nerves of attendees.
Everything was going perfectly fine at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday while Graydon Carter, editor of Vanity Fair, was busy with his exclusive party at the Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, a half hour away from the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. Suddenly 6 men in militia getup approached the hotel causing a massive panic as guests scattered to shelter themselves from the expected onslaught. While security was immediately informed, the waiters continued serving food calmly to the remaining guests.
Courtesy : stephadams.com
The chaos and panic soon subsided after it became clear that the whole charade was just a PR stunt for a French company named Oraxy. The company claims to beΒ βthe worldβs first private global marketplace reserved exclusively for UHNWI,β or Ultra High Net Worth Individuals.
“We were all caught off guard,” publicist J.R. Savet told The Hollywood Reporter.Β “And then someone screamed and people jumped out of their chairs and started moving quickly to the swimming pool area. It was pretty scary. The fact that the men appeared to be (dressed like) an ISIS-like militia group was quite shocking.β
Courtesy : The Hollywood Reporter
The group of men also sped by yachts owned by bigwigs likeΒ Steven Spielberg, Ronald Perelman and Roman Abramovitch.Β An Oraxy spokesperson later confirmed that the incident was a publicity stunt whichΒ was supposedly coordinated with maritime authorities while also saying the unidentified owners felt βreally badβ about the scare they caused. Cannes still remains on high alert with mock terrorist attacks being carried outΒ in preparation for the festival.