from www.eonline.com – A judge had harsh words (not to mention an arrest warrant) for Lindsay Lohan this morning regarding her trip to Cannes, but at least one person is defending her visit to the south of France.

Matthew Wilder—the director of Inferno, which features Linds playing porn star Linda Lovelace—is giving the legally plagued starlet props for her appearance at the film fest.

“She indeed did some terrific promotion of the film while [in Cannes], which you will see shortly,” he told E! News exclusively. “Her appearance there sparked an enormous amount of international interest in the picture.”

And he says Lindsay even paid her own way to Cannes…

“We did invite Lindsay to Cannes, but everyone paid their way for the good of the project, including myself and the producers,” Wilder tells E!.

Now if she only could find a way back home.

Lindsay claims she couldn’t leave Cannes in time for court because her passport had been stolen, but instead of filing a report or getting a replacement, she’s been spotted partying on a plethora of yachts.

But Wilder claims she’s doing her best to get back here ASAP.

“She is struggling earnestly to get there,” says Wilder. “She’s a good person. I should only comment more after I know that Lindsay is home and safe.”

Once she does arrive Stateside, LiLo might have a shiny new pair of bracelets waiting at the airport as a welcome-home present.