first red carpet by giving pecks on the cheek to female guests Jessica Chastain and Carla Bruni. Stars on the red carpet are traditionally greeted with the customary French kisses on the cheek, but “la bise” has been banned amid fears of new Covid-19 variants being spread.
Pierre Lescure, the festival president, immediately went against the rules by welcoming Hollywood star Chastain with kisses on the red carpet for the event's opening ceremony.
He then applied “la bise” to singer Bruni, the wife of Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president, and was spotted moving to kiss the hand of film star Melanie Laurent.