Meet Corinne Masiero, Actor Who Stripped At Cesar Awards To Demand Support For Artists

Corinne Masiero, a French female actor, stripped naked on stage at the scaled-back César Awards ceremony in Paris to show her protest for the lack of support given to the artists and their struggles due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.

The actress had "no culture no future" written on her torso, and "give us our art back, Jean" on her back in red ink, directed to the Prime Minister, Jean Castex.

Masiero went on stage to receive an award for the best costume as she wore a blood-stained costume of a donkey. Later, she undressed on stage to protest the closing of theatres and the lack of support given to artists.

Why Was The Cultural Sector Of France Angered?

Cinemas and Theatres have been closed since October due to the global pandemic. This announcement was done two days earlier by French President Emmanuel Macron. This has particularly affected the cultural and artistic hub of the country. Protesters have occupied several large theatres across the country and demanded "a reopening of cultural places, in compliance with health rules" according to a press release by students at the National Theater of Strasbourg.

The ceremony took place at a theatre while theatres were declared closed by the government. This angered the artists and people from the cultural sector because the government showed an unwillingness to set a reopening date of the theatres, museums, galleries, concert halls and movie houses for the artists.

The host of the night criticised the culture minister, Roselyne Bachelot, for finding time to write a book during the Covid-19 crisis and said: “I’m losing confidence in you.”

Several protestors from all around the country gathered at the Odeon Theatre, demanding the reopening of the cultural venues.

On Thursday the government acknowledged the devastating impact on the cultural sector and issued the statement that "the cultural industry is one of the sectors that has been the most impacted by the covid-19 crisis," and announced an additional 20 million euros ($24 million) in support of the sector.