“Impunity, denial and privilege”: the actress calls on French cinema to face the truth about sexual violence

Actress Judith Godrèche, who rose to prominence in the fight against sexual violence in French cinema, denounced the film industry’s “level of impunity, denial and privilege” this Saturday after receiving a standing ovation at the Cesar Awards.

“Why admit that the art that unites us is being used as a cover for the illegal trafficking of girls?” asked the woman who “freed” others to speak on the topic in France by filing a complaint against directors Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon. , of sexual and physical abuse as a teenager, charges the latter denies.

“You have to be careful with the girls, they fall to the bottom of the pool, they get injured, but they recover,” he added, urging victims to have faith.

The ceremony took place under high tension, with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence hoping the event would mark a milestone. The question arose immediately, in the opening speech of the “director” of the ceremony, actress Valerie Lemercier.

“I will not leave here without praising those who are shaking the habits and customs of a very ancient world, where the bodies of some were unconditionally at the disposal of the bodies of others,” the actress emphasized.

Equally symbolically, the French Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Technology awarded its first Cesar Award for Best Supporting Actress to Adele Exarchopoulos for I Will Always See Your Faces, in which she plays an incest victim.

Before the ceremony, about a hundred people demonstrated in front of the theater where the event was taking place, at the request of the CGT union, to support the victims.

“Together we can really help change the situation, a truly better world can open up,” said actress Anna Mouglalis, who accused directors Philippe Garrel and Jacques Doillon of sexually assaulting her.

Even before the gala opened, French Culture Minister Rachida Dati, who was also present at the event, criticized the “collective blindness” that had “lasted for years” in the film sector in an interview with French magazine Le Film.

“Creative freedom is total, but here we are not talking about art, we are talking about children’s crimes,” referring to Judith Godrèche.

From accusations of rape and sexual assault against Gérard Depardieu to accusations against Judith Godrèche and then other actresses, sexual violence is plaguing French cinema more than ever.

This Thursday, actor Aurélien Wijk launched the hashtag #MeTooGarçons on the social network Instagram.