At Cannes, woman who had part of her left foot amputated, turned away for flat shoes

She put on an elegant gown and made sure her hair was stylishly coiffed, but Cannes Film Festival officials soon zeroed in on a major fashion faux-pas: Valeria Richter was wearing flats on the red carpet.

The film producer tells As It Happens co-host Carol Off she was stopped three separate times as she tried to enter a screening.

"They were pointing and looking down at my feet."

Richter explained to the officials that flats are a necessity. She can no longer wear heels because part of her left foot is amputated. She says heels make it difficult for her to maintain balance. But even that did not assuage the officials' concerns.

"I was asked to step aside and wait until they could ask a superior if they were allowed to let me in because my shoes were not OK."

She says the scrutiny was even more galling because she comes to Cannes to work, not just to look good on the red carpet.

"We run around all day between meetings and screenings and events so your feet get really tired." 

The film festival has denied that insisting on heels is an official policy, but Richter says she knows other women who were turned away because of their choice of footwear.

Other women told her they overheard guards saying, "You're pretty enough but wear proper shoes next time."

"What are proper shoes? It's sort of a random fashion policing," she says.  

Eventually, Richter was allowed into the screening -- but says the Cannes crackdown is ironic considering this year's festival has highlighted the work of female directors .