Brash publicist Peggy Siegal sent an e-mail to a journalist last year claiming the Cannes Film Festival was anti-Semitic and corrupt — and then inadvertently copied it to the head of festival’s press office. Oops.
Siegal — who criticized Mayor de Blasio and his wife Chirlane this week for not attending more charity balls — is known for her outspokenness.
Last year, Siegal sent an e-mail claiming festival officials were anti-Semitic to a reporter who had experienced difficulties getting into overbooked screenings, adding, “If you want to get in, you have to bribe them.”
The head of the festival’s press office, Christine Aime, was mistakenly copied. Aime replied to Siegal, “I am sending back the bracelet you sent me.”
Said one friend of Siegal, “She’s a tornado. She gets herself in trouble. She gets people around her in trouble.”
Siegal declined to discuss what she called “hearsay,” but said she is fully credentialed for Cannes this year, and added, “I’m looking forward to going.” The 68th annual festival opens May 13 with Joel and Ethan Coen as co-presidents of the jury for the main competition.
In the business of promoting movies for the past 30 years, Siegal is a regular at film festivals and awards shows like the Oscars. She was spotted last week at the Lincoln Center tribute to Robert Redford.