Aniello Arena, one of the stars of the Cannes competition entry "Reality," can't attend his film's Friday premiere because he's in prison, reportedly for murder.
Reports out of Cannes, both in Italian newspapers and in Forbes and Vanity Fair, say that Arena has been in prison for more than 20 years, serving a life sentence for murder. (VF cites reports that say it was a double murder.)
Also read: Cannes Review: 'Reality' Bites the Quest for Fame
Speaking to the press following the film's first screening, director Matteo Garrone did not address the nature of Arena's crimes.