The appearance of famous Turkish chef Burak Özdemir at the 77th Cannes Film Festival generated significant reactions on social media. Burak shared pictures and videos of himself from the festival on his official Instagram account, which sparked considerable debate and mockery among his followers, with many questioning the "connection between kebab and the seventh art," as the chef's field does not align with the nature of the festival.
The criticisms compelled the Turkish chef to break his silence, stating on Instagram, "I don’t understand why some people do that. I have an Instagram account with the largest number of followers in Turkey, whether you like it or not, I am not doing anything wrong or rude to anyone." He added, "They invited us, we walked the red carpet, we watched the film. We received an award, and we will return, but I don’t understand why they do this; there are really bad comments, I don’t understand why they bothered me so much."
The Turkish chef confirmed that he attended the festival at his own expense, stating, "There is no sponsorship from any company; I accepted the invitation and came at my own expense. I am 28 years old, and I am trying to do something on my own, I came here with my own ticket. I don’t feel insulted by this; I am not someone who attends every event, but I love this place."
It is noteworthy that Burak attended the event alongside many famous personalities for the screening of the film "All We Imagine as Light," appearing on the red carpet while greeting photographers. Özdemir, who has 54 million followers on his Instagram page, received the "Best Influential Businessman" award, presented to him by famous model and actress Victoria Silvstedt.
