Ukrainian model Sawa Pontyjska claimed a Cannes Film Festival security guard “brutally restrained” her as she walked on the red carpet and tried to enter the theater at this year’s event, according to a new lawsuit.
In an interview with BBC News, Pontyjska — who was at the star-studded event as a presenter for Fashion TV — said she filed a legal complaint against Cannes organizers over the alleged assault at the “Marcello Mio” premiere.
Pontyjska claimed that the female security guard, who also clashed with Kelly Rowland and Massiel Taveras, locked her in a “bear hug” at the top of the Palais des Festivals staircase.
“I was trying to escape from this lock. I went down, and I started to run away on the stairs because it was the way back [out],” she told the outlet.
“She was trying to push me in[side], so nobody can see what she’s doing with me. Then she kicked me out through the back door.”
Footage of Pontyjska’s heated exchange with the staffer went viral on TikTok, racking up millions of views.
In the clip, the female security guard can be seen attempting to drag the model inside while having her arms around her before the pair exchange words on the nearly empty red carpet.
Pontyjska then crouches near the ground to break free from the usher before she is met with three men, one of whom grabs her by the waist.
Pontyjska is accusing the festival of “physical assault and psychological damage” and is seeking over $108,000 in damages, the outlet adds.
In her legal complaint, Pontyjska alleged that the staffer’s physical force caused her “acute pain” and “psychological trauma.”
“I always dreamed of getting into Cannes Film Festival,” Pontyjska said Wednesday on Instagram. “But then I was shocked about [the] rudeness and unreasonable use of physical force which I experienced on the red carpet with other international stars.”
“[Cannes] allowed the guards to use physical force on the red carpet guests.”
Page Six has reached out to the Cannes Film Festival for comment.
The same staffer, who has not been named, previously made headlines for rushing Kelly Rowland and Massiel Taveras off the red carpet, as well as clashing with K-pop star Yoona.
When the same happened to Rowland earlier this month, the former Destiny’s Child member made headlines for scolding the usher ahead of the “Marcello Mio” premiere.
The singer, 43, teared up recalling the interaction, telling AP News, “That woman knows what happened. I know what happened. I have a boundary, and I stand by those boundaries.”
“There were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me and they didn’t get scolded, or pushed off, or told to get off,” she added.
Dominican actress Massiel Taveras had a similar experience with the same woman and was caught on camera shoving her.
While there’s been no official word from the festival about the repeated controversies, the unidentified staffer has been defended by one of her colleagues via the Daily Mail.
“She was an usher working under a lot of pressure to keep people on the carpet moving, so as to stop crowds building up,” the unnamed co-worker told the outlet.
“There was no pushing or shoving, or scolding. Security and safety are the priorities, along with keeping to strict timetables set according to contracts — even the celebrities have to stick to the rules.”
