News

French film collective Respect launches industry-wide code of conduct for navigating sexual assault from script to screen

Around 30 French film industry professionals have formed the ‘Respect Group’ that has created a code of conduct to prevent sexual assault on film sets and provide a concrete tool kit for dealing with incidents should they occur.

The new initiative, whose name the “Groupe Respect” is an acronym that stands for “reactivity, ethics, safety, professionalism, efficiency, trust and transparency” in French, is being spearheaded by producers Caroline Bonmarchand of Avenue B Productions and Alice Girard of Rectangle Productions alongside head of women’s...

French media outlets are reporting that prosecutors have requested rape charges be brought against director Benoît Jacquot in connection to assault allegations made by actresses Isild Le Besco and Julia Roy.

Jacquot was taken into police custody on Monday for questioning on those allegations as well as assault charges brought by filmmaker Judith Godrèche. According to reports, prosecutors have not yet pressed for charges in connection to Godrèche’s charges. Jacquot has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

Godrèche filed her complaint against Jacquot in February, shortly after she began speaking publicly about her relationship with the Farewell, My Queen director in the 1980s, which she says began when she was 14-years-old and he was 40. In the wake of Godrèche’s revelations, Roy filed a complaint for sexual assault against the director, and Le Besco filed a complaint for rape of a minor over 15 years old. The alleged assaults took place...

French prosecutors have requested director Benoît Jacquot be charged with the rape and sexual assault of several actresses, according to a Le Monde report.

Jacquot, 77, was held for questioning on Monday after filmmaker/actress Judith Godrèche filed a complaint alleging Jacquot raped her during a relationship that began when she was 14. The relationship lasted several years, Godrèche, now 52, said. Godrèche first went public with her allegations in an investigation Le Monde published in February 2024.

Le Besco, now 41, followed Godrèche’s complaint with one of her own, alleging Jacquot raped her during a relationship also began when she was a minor. Julia Roy, now 34, has also accused Jacquot of sexual assault; Jacquot has denied all accusations.

Prosecutors are currently seeking to charge Jacquot with crimes against Le Besco and Roy, but not Godrèche.

In addition to her complaint against Jacquot for “predation” and “violent rape of a minor under 15 years old...

Actors Isild Le Besco and Julia Roy filed complaints for alleged attacks dating back to the late 90s

French prosecutors have requested film director Benoît Jacquot be charged with raping actors Isild Le Besco and Julia Roy, the Paris prosecutor’s office told Afp on Wednesday.

Jacquot, 77, was held for questioning on Monday after actor Judith Godrèche, 52, filed a complaint against him this year for allegedly raping her during a relationship of several years that started when she was 14.

French prosecutors have requested rape charges against director Benoît Jacquot in relation to allegations by actresses Isild Le Besco and Julia Roy, according to French media reports.

Jacquot was taken into police custody on Monday for questioning on Le Besco and Roy’s accusations as well as allegations by actress and director Judith Godrèche.

Godrèche was in a relationship with the director in the late 1980s, which she says began when she was only 14 years old, and he was 40.

She now condemns the relationship, saying she was under Jacquot’s control, and filed a complaint of “rape with constraint” against him in February.

For now, the prosecutors have not pressed for charges in relation to Godrèche’s complaint.

Jacquot has denied all the accusations.

Film director Benoit Jacquot is set to face trial after French prosecutors requested rape charges, according to reports in France.

Doillon was taken into custody in Paris alongside fellow French filmmaker Jacques Doillon earlier this week following allegations they both sexually assaulted actor Judith Godrèche as a child.

Godrèche alleges that Jacquot raped her in 1986, when she was 14, while Doillon sexually assaulted her on set.

Both men have denied the claims.

According to French newspaper Le Monde, prosecutors have requested charges against Jacquot relating to the rape of two other actors. One of the actors alleges the rape occurred between 1998 and 2000 and in 2007 during a relationship that began with the director when she was underage while the other actor has accused him of sexually assaulting her between 2013 and 2018. Jacquot has denied the claims.

However prosecutors have not requested charges in relation to Godreche’s allegations as yet, the newspaper reported.

Both men deny claims by actor Judith Godrèche, who has formally accused them of abusing her as a teenager

French authorities detained leading film directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon on Monday for questioning over accusations of sexual abuse, sources close to the case said.

An Afp journalist saw both men, who have denied the allegations, arrive at a police station in Paris on Monday morning, accompanied by their lawyers.

French filmmakers Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon have been placed into police custody stemming from charges of sexual assault by actresses including Judith Godrèche earlier this year.

The filmmakers were taken in for questioning on Monday morning (July 1) by France’s Juvenile Protection Brigade at Paris’ Regional Criminal Investigation Department (Drpj).

In February, Godrèche accused Jacquot and then Doillon of the rape of a minor, which has led to the investigation by the Paris public prosecutor’s office.

Both filmmakers continue to contest the charges. Jacquot’s lawyer Julia Minkowski told local press the filmmaker “will finally be able to...

French directors Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon (“The Little Gangster”) were summoned by police on July 1 for questioning in connection with complaints filed by actor Judith Godreche on Feb. 8.

The two directors were taken in custody by the Juvenile Protection Brigade, according to the Afp.

Godrèche lodged a rape complaint against Jacquot and accused him of “predation” and “violent rape of a minor under 15 years old committed by a person in authority.” She met Jacquot in 1986, when she was 14 years old (the director was then 39) on the set of his movie “Les Mendiants,” and began a relationship with him which went on for six years. She also starred in his 1990 film “La Desenchantée.” The offences were alleged to have taken place between 1986 and 1992. Jacquot has denied all of Godrèche’s accusations.

The director’s attorney, Julia Minkowski, told Variety that Benoît Jacquot “had requested to be heard since the beginning of the investigation.

French police have taken directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon into questioning on accusations of sexual assault made against them by actress and activist Judith Godrèche.

Godrèche filed official complaints against Jacquot and Doillon in February, accusing both men of sexual assault in alleged incidents decades ago, when she was a teenager. She accused Jacquot of raping her in 1986, when she was 14, and of subsequent offenses in a romantic relationship which lasted into the 1990s. She has accused Doillon of sexually assaulting her during the filming of his 1989 feature The 15-Year-Old Girl, in which she starred. Both men deny the allegations.

French media on Monday reported that both men had been taken into custody and were being questioned by the Paris branch of France’s Brigade for the Protection of Minors.

When Godrèche went public with the allegations, it helped reignite France’s #MeToo movement. The filmmaker, a former teen idol,...

French directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon have been taken into police custody for questioning on accusations of sexual assault made against them by actress and director Judith Godrèche.

French media reported that both men were being questioned by the Paris branch of France’s Brigade for the Protection of Minors.

Godrèche unleashed a fresh MeToo wave in France this year after she decided to speak out about her own experiences of sexual abuse within the French cinema world as a teenager.

She filed official complaints against Jacquot and Doillon in February.

The actress and director was in a relationship with Jacquot in the late 1980s, which she says began when she was only 14 years old and he was 40.

Godrèche now condemns the relationship, saying she was under Jacquot’s control, and filed a complaint of “rape with constraint” against him in February.

At the same time, she also filed a complaint against Doillon,...

Vor einem französischen Gericht wurde Cnc-Präsident Dominique Boutonnat heute wegen des Vorwurfs eines sexuellen Übergriffs gegen sein Patenkind im Jahr 2020 verurteilt. Zwar muss Boutonnat nicht ins Gefängnis, auch kündigte er umgehend Berufung an – sein Amt als Cnc-Präsident legte er aber mit sofortiger Wirkung nieder.

Dominique Boutonnat (Credit: Imago / Abacapress)

Im Fall des wegen des Vorwurfs eines sexuellen Übergriffes im August 2020 gegen sein damals 21 Jahre altes Patenkindes wurde Cnc-Präsident Dominique Boutonnat heute vor einem Pariser Gericht schuldig gesprochen. Verurteilt wurde er zu einer dreijährigen Haftstrafe, die Boutonnat allerdings (vorerst) nicht im Gefängnis verbüßen muss. Zwei Jahre sind komplett zur Bewährung ausgesetzt, ein Jahr ist in Form eines Hausarrestes (mit Fußfessel) abzusitzen. Im Raum hatte zunächst sogar der Vorwurf einer versuchten Vergewaltigung gestanden, die Staatsanwaltschaft sah für eine entsprechende Anklage aber keine hinreichenden Anhaltspunkte.

Boutonnat, der nach wie vor seine Unschuld beteuert und lediglich „einvernehmliche“ sexuelle Handlungen einräumt, hatte unmittelbar nach...

Dominique Boutonnat, president of France’s central film organisation the Cnc, has announced he is leaving leave his post today (June 28) after being sentenced to three years in prison by a French court for sexual assault.

Cultural minister Rachida Dati has named the Cnc’s deputy managing director Olivier Henrard as interim director.

Boutonnat went to trial on June 14 at a courthouse in Nanterre . Today he confirmed he has been charged and sentenced to a three-year prison sentence, two of which are suspended.

Boutonnat maintains his innocence and said he plans to appeal.

However in a letter to the organisation that Screen.

Dominique Boutonnat has been given a three-year prison sentence, one of which will be custodial, after being found guilty of charges of sexually assaulting his godson and has quit his role as head of France’s National Cinema Centre (Cnc).

Per local media reports, Boutonnat will not serve time in jail but is expected to live under house arrest with an electronic bracelet for the custodial year.

The court is reported to have concluded that the facts relayed in a hearing on June 14, went “particularly far in the context of a sexual assault”.

Boutonnat who has always denied the accusations, reaffirmed his innocence on leaving court and said he would be appealing the verdict and sentence.

Local media said Boutonnat had informed Cnc staff of his decision to quit his post as head of the body, which oversees state film and TV funding. Current deputy general director, Olivier Henrard has...

Dominique Boutonnat, the president of the National Film Board, France’s most powerful film institution, has received a three-year prison sentence, including two suspended, over sexual assault charges.

Boutonnat has stepped down from the Cnc in the wake of the verdict on June 28 and is being replaced by Olivier Henrard, Variety has confirmed.

The judge’s ruling appears stronger than the initial recommandation of the Paris prosecutor, who had requested a three-year suspended prison sentence on June 14. Boutonnat is expected to live under house arrest with an electronic bracelet for one year, according to local reports.

Boutonnat was indicted in February 2021 for the alleged sexual assault of his then 19-year-old godson in August 2020, during a vacation in Greece. But in spite of the indictment, Boutonnat was re-upped by the French government in 2022 and served a second mandate which was meant to end next year.

Having previously denied all accusations, Boutonnat...

Trialed for alleged sexual assault on June 14, Dominique Boutonnat, the president of the National Film Board, France’s most powerful film institution, is facing a three-year suspended prison sentence.

Boutonnat was indicted in February 2021 for the alleged sexual assault of his then 19-year-old godson in August 2020, during a vacation in Greece. On Friday, at the Nanterre courthouse, the prosecutor requested a three-year suspended prison sentence against Boutonnat who is currently service a second mandate as president of the Cnc. He was re-upped by the French government in 2022 in spite of the fact that he had been indicted on sexual assault charges a year prior. He has denied all accusations. The Cnc said in a statement sent to Variety that the “allegations concern the private sphere and have nothing to do with the Cnc’s activities whose functioning were not affected by the undertaking of the judicial procedure.”

The film executive,...

There were no overt boycotts this year, but there were entries about theocracy, Trump and the far right. There was still room for love, though – and sex. Here’s who I think will win, and my alternative ‘Braddies’ awards

This was the Cannes that was supposed to be a break from politics, from campaigning and from causes – aside from the #MeToo-themed short film by Judith Godreche: Moi Aussi. Festival chief Thierry Frémaux had said that political polemic was “something we want to avoid”.

It was a Cannes that was supposed to be getting back to the pure, allegedly apolitical pursuit of cinema. There was no overt boycotting of directors on national grounds. However, the only Israeli contribution to Cannes was student Amit Vaknin’s 14-minute short It’s Not Time For Pop in the La Cinef section.

And the winner is: “Simon of the Mountain.”

The film, directed by Federico Luis – and marking his feature debut – was awarded Cannes’ Critics Week Grand Prix.

Sold by Luxbox, the Argentina-Chile-Uruguay production stars Lorenzo “Toto” Ferro, the lead in breakout “El Angel,” as Simon, 21, a lonely only son who falls in with a group of discapacitated kids, feigning a discapacity. Thanks to their friendship he flowers, discovering love, sex and a sense of belonging.

“I am thinking not only about what it means to us, but also about what it means to the people in Argentina who, over the course of the next four years, will struggle, trying to make local films,” said Luis, accepting the award.

“At home, there are people who still think we make films no one wants to see. I hope this will change it and that Argentinian people – and then the whole world – will watch Argentinian cinema.

So this is what economizing looks like in Cannes.

The rosé still flowed, though not as freely, and it was easier to get a reservation at the Michelin-starred restaurants that are usually booked months in advance of the film festival. There were still rooms to be had at the Hôtel du Cap, the posh resort where studio chiefs and movie stars typically stay. Most troubling, the deals — both for completed films that premiered in Cannes and the packages that hit the Côte d’Azur searching for financing — are taking much longer to close.

Even in the shimmering south of France there’s no escaping that the movie business, having endured Covid shutdowns and two devastating labor strikes, has lost much of its luster. Donna Langley, the chairman of NBCUniversal Studio Group, was blunt during a talk, noting that the domestic box office is down 20% and the global box office has...

On Sunday night, May 19, under a starry Cannes night, Kering held their Women In Motion dinner bestowing NBCUniversal Studios Group chairman and chief content officer Dame Donna Langley with the Women In Motion Award, and Malaysian director Amanda Nell Eu was presented the Young Talent Award. Langley is the first British woman to run a major Hollywood studio, and Kering awarded these women for their ability to expand opportunities and networks for women and people of color in the film industry.

Held at Place de la Castre in Cannes, the event drew celebrities who attended in the name of women making breakthroughs in film. Notable names in attendance were Julianne Moore, Uma Thurman, Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Michelle Yeoh, Lily Gladstone, Zoe Saldaña, Eva Green, Judith Godrèche and directors Greta Gerwig and Justine Triet.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter before the dinner, actress and producer Salma Hayek, wife of Kering...

The 2024 Cannes Film Festival is still going full steam, with deals and screenings galore. We’ve got the first responses to some highly anticipated projects including the new films from Emma Stone and Nicolas Cage, a filmmaker weighing in on the Harvey Weinstein conviction reversal and a studio going all in on a single filmmaker.

“Kinds of Kindness” Confounds

Yorgos Lanthimos, just a few months since his bizarre, female-empowerment madcap science fiction movie “Poor Things” scooped up four Oscars (including Best Actress for Emma Stone), debuted his new film, “Kinds of Kindness.”

The movie reunites the filmmaker with his frequent writing partner, Efthimis Filippo, and his muse, Emma Stone. The movie is not a straightforward narrative but an anthology film comprised of three loosely connected storylines, where the actors play different characters in each segment. (This is Searchlight’s big summer movie; it’s going up against the new “Quiet Place” prequel.

French cinema’s Judith Godrèche, a former child star-turned-filmmaker and prominent #MeToo activist, weighed in during Cannes Day 4 on the April 25 reversal of Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction in New York, slamming it as “an absolute nightmare.”

Speaking with TheWrap founder and editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman on Thursday as part of TheWrap Conversations at the Brand Innovators Salon D’Affaires, Godrèche expressed sympathy for the women who may have to testify again if a new trial is held.

“It’s a nightmare, an absolute nightmare. I can’t even imagine,” Godrèche said. “Somehow people [like] him are winning. There is enough pain and hurt that it should not be allowed. It’s insane when you think about it. Listen, I may have to face my abusers [one day]. You have to be so brave to do this.”

She added: “I wondered how [Weinstein] had so much money to keep paying for lawyers. I thought, ‘Wow,...

Director Yorgos Lanthimos presents the world premiere of Kinds of Kindness reuniting with past collaborators Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, and Margaret Qualley from Poor Things.

Lanthimos was joined on the carpet by cast members Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Mamoudou Athie, Joe Alwyn, and Hunter Schafer on Friday, May 17 at the Grand Théâtre Lumière.

Related: Cannes 2024 in Photos: Parties, Premieres, Pressers & More

Other guests who attended the gala included Lily Gladstone, Eva Green, Pierfrancesco Favino, Kristen Dunst, Demi Moore, Mike Faist, Sophie Wilde, Victoria Justice, Tess Barthélemy, Judith Godrèche, Kelly Rutherford, Eva Longoria and Bebe Vio.

Related: ‘Kinds Of Kindness’ Review: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Latest Is Puzzling, Brilliant, Funny … And Not Easy To Like – Cannes Film Festival

Kinds of Kindness is a triptych fable, following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife...

On the second night of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Judith Godrèche told the mostly female crowd assembled on a beach next to the Palais, “This film is for you!” The French actor-director was presenting her short “Moi Aussi,” a last-minute addition to the festival lineup that covers sexual misconduct in the French film industry. Godrèche has become something of an ambassador to the fledgling movement after she came forward in February with claims that she was preyed upon and groomed as a minor by directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon, allegations they both deny. The beach screening kicked off what many hope will be a sweeping French #MeToo reckoning.

But the festival and its accompanying film market also will feature several men who have been the subject of #MeToo allegations that range from sexual harassment, sexual assault and domestic violence. The awkward presence of such actors as Shia Labeouf and James Franco,...

In another sign that the #MeToo movement is transforming the birthplace of cinema, France’s film producers and actors unions on Friday unanimously approved new measures aimed at preventing gender-based and sexual violence and harassment within the industry.

Several French industry associations — including the union of independent producers, the association of independent producers, the union of cinema producers and the professional union of dramatic artists — approved an amendment to their collective agreement which will require mandatory harassment training for producers and enforce the protection of minors on film sets, among other measures.

The new measures follow an announcement by the French film board, the Cnc, that it will make similar requirements a condition for receiving government subsidies. Given the importance of Cnc funding for most French movies, this ensures these #MeToo measures will become standard practice across the French industry. The Cnc will launch harassment training programs this summer.

But...

The world premiere of Agathe Riedinger’s Wild Diamond in Cannes Competition is the only one by a first-time filmmaker and heralds Riedinger as part of a new wave of French female directors to arrive en force on the Croisette.

The film explores western society’s obsession with beauty and fame and the omnipresence of social media through the story of a 19 year-old girl who sets out to earn a spot on a reality TV show.

Also in Competitoin is France-born Coralie Fargeat’s second feature The Substance. The body horror is produced by the UK’s Working Title Films and stars Demi Moore,...

Léa Seydoux addressed France’s growing #MeToo movement at the Cannes Film Festival press conference for Quentin Dupieux’s comedy “The Second Act,” which opened the fest on Tuesday night.

“It’s a wonderful thing that women are now speaking out. Things are clearly changing and it was high time it did,” she said. “I have the impression that this change has indeed taken place. The film also plays with this idea, it also talks about very current events and this movement, where women are now speaking out, and that was of fundamental importance for this change to take place.”

Seydoux continued, “#MeToo is very important. It’s a very serious issue. However, I think it is also necessary to be able to talk about it with humor. In the film, this is highlighted in a very funny way.”

Addressing the impact of #MeToo on the way actresses are treated on set,...

Langley Is Woman in Motion in Cannes

Kering’s Women in Motion has unveiled the details for its 2024 program, headlined by a series of A-listers and Universal chairman Donna Langley who will sit for conversations about representation in cinema. The schedule for the invitation-only talks features singer, songwriter and composer Yseult (May 15), actress and filmmaker Judith Godrèche (May 17), Langley ahead of her Women in Motion Award ceremony (May 18), Cannes veteran Julianne Moore (May 19), Cate Blanchett, producer Coco Francini and Dr. Stacy L. Smith (May 20), Emilia Perez star Zoe Saldana (May 20), and Anaïs Demoustier (May 21).

Donna Langley at the 96th Oscars on March 10, 2024. Cannes Vet Kruger Joins “Transcending Borders”

Breaking Through The Lens has booked an afternoon rendezvous in the Campari Lounge at the Palais on May 19, a session that will feature Diane Kruger and the distribution of a special grant that supports directors of marginalized gender.

The event, “Transcending Borders,...

Judith Godrèche has been a regular on the Cannes red carpet for close to 30 years for her performances in films such as Patrice Leconte’s 1996 Palme d’Or contender Ridicule and Un Certain Regard cycling drama The Climb in 2019.

The popular French actress-turned-director touches down this edition with a work of her own: the short film Moi Aussi.

Shot under the radar in Paris in March and gathering 1,000 victims of sexual abuse, the work world premieres as part of the opening ceremony of Cannes Un Certain Regard on Wednesday.

Related: Cannes Film Festival 2024 In Photos: Opening Ceremony & ‘The Second Act’ World Premiere

There is no bigger disruptive force in French cinema right now than Godrèche, who has been at the forefront of triggering a new era of #MeToo in France, a country that has been notoriously slow to tackle sexism, sexual violence and harassment.

The short film follows in the...

Judith Godrèche, the figurehead of the energised French #metoo movement following her A24-Arte series Icon Of French Cinema, about her experiences of sexual assault on film sets, is now developing a feature with the theme of female empowerment to be shot in both English and French.

She plans to direct and co-produce but is keeping plot details under wraps.

Godreche, who said she has not ruled out a second season of Icon Of French Cinema, is in Cannes with short film Moi Aussi (Me Too) that pays tribute to victims of sexual violence. It is the opening film of...

Updated with ovation for The Second Act: The Cannes Film Festival opened Tuesday evening with a joyously female vibe as Meryl Streep received the Honorary Palme d’Or from an emotional Juliette Binoche and Greta Gerwig became the first female U.S. director to serve as jury president across its 77 editions.

The ceremony at the Palais led into the festival’s opening-night film The Second Act from Quentin Dupieux. The French pic, starring Léa Seydoux and Louis Garrel, received a lukewarm 3-minute, 46-second standing ovation from the audience.

Earlier, resplendent in a long sequin gown, Gerwig said she was still coming to terms with the fact that she was presiding over the Cannes jury.

“I hardly know what to say… This is holy to me; art is sacred, film is sacred… I cannot believe that I’m getting the chance to spend 10 days in this house of worship.”

The...

The Cannes Film Festival opened Tuesday with expectations that the big theme of this 77th edition will be #MeToo, even if rumors of an imminent bombshell exposé involving 10 prominent cinema figures were quashed overnight.

France’s #MeToo wave, sparked by actress and filmmaker Judith Godrèche’s decision to speak up about sexual abuse she says she suffered as a teenager and her subsequent campaign to end what she calls a culture of silence in the French film world, will be omnipresent.

Godrèche’s actions have encouraged thousands of sexual abuse victims across all walks of life to speak up about their experiences.

The actress and filmmaker will be in Cannes for the world premiere on Wednesday evening of her resulting short film Moi Aussi, gathering 1,000 people who got in touch with her via social media channels to tell their stories.

However, frenzied media speculation that a #MeToo exposé naming 10 prominent...

Jury duty began Tuesday, May 14 for this year’s Cannes Film Festival competition panelists, led by president Greta Gerwig, the billion-dollar filmmaker behind “Barbie.”

Omar Sy, Eva Green, Lily Gladstone, Pierfrancesco Favino, Hirokazu Kore-eda, J.A. Bayona, Nadine Labaki, and Ebru Ceylan, along with Gerwig, convened at the Palais des Festivals for the annual opening day press conference. Tonight’s festival launches with the world premiere of Quentin Dupieux’s “The Second Act.” The jury will discuss, debate, and deliberate on films including Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis,” Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” and more.

But the 77th edition of the global leading film festival is on edge right now as Cannes stares down two major scandals plaguing the Croisette and the French film industry at large. There’s a looming potential strike from a labor collective calling itself Sous les écrans la dèch,...

With rumors of a bombshell #MeToo report about the French cinema industry knocking on the door of the Cannes Film Festival, this year’s jury president Greta Gerwig on Tuesday acknowledged the wave that’s out there in a way that festival boss Thierry Frémaux didn’t want to address at his press conference the day before.

“I think people in the community of movies telling their stories and changing things for the better is only good,” said the Barbie filmmaker at a press conference introducing the jury just hours before the festival’s opening night begins. “I’ve seen substantial changes in the American film community; I think it’s important to expand the conversation.”

“It’s only moving things in the correct direction, keeping those lines of communication open,” said Gerwig about a press member’s query as to whether the current #MeToo climate is France is impacting the festival.

Nine women have accused prolific French producer Alain Sarde of rape and sexual assault in a detailed expose in the French edition of Elle magazine.

Sarde has denied the accusations. The 72-year-old producer has not been officially charged with any crimes for the incidents in question, according to the magazine.

The testimonies were published on May 14, on the eve of the Cannes Film Festival where Sarde has premiered 50 films over the years including Roman Polanski’s Palme d’Or-winning The Pianist and David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive.

The accusations date from between 1985 and 2003 and are all from actresses who mostly...

As a #MeToo wave looked to rock the 77th Cannes Film Festival with rumors swirling that filmmakers with films at the event would be tagged, Thierry Frémaux emphasized his event isn’t about polemics, rather the picture that’s on the screen. If there are controversies during Cannes “we try to avoid them” he said today during an afternoon presser.

“Last year, as you know, we had a few polemics, and we realized it, and so this year we decided to host a festival without polemics to make sure that the main interest for us all to be here is cinema,” Frémaux said. “So if there are other polemics, it doesn’t concern us.”

“It’s about the movies and whether they deserve or not, in aesthetic or artistic terms, to be there,” Frémaux said. “There is no ideology guiding the selection committee.”

“We would like to have a festival without polemics,...

At his annual pre-festival press conference, Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux skillfully dogged potentially hot-button topics, including the war in Gaza, #MeToo politics, and the threat of employment strikes disrupting the 77th festival.

Frémaux politely responded to question after question from the international film press on Monday but managed not to address many of the most controversial topics on their minds.

Speaking about Moi Aussi, a short from filmmaker and #MeToo activist Judith Godrèche, which will open this year’s Un Certain Regard section, he spent more time discussing the technical aspects of the film than its subject matter: The thousands of sexual abuse victims who contacted Godrèche after she went public with her own #MeToo story and called out widespread abuse inside the French film industry.

Asked if the festival had, as was reported, hired a crisis management team to deal with possible new #MeToo allegations against filmmakers taking...

Thierry Fremaux addressed France’s #MeToo reckoning during a press conference on the eve of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Following rumors that the French outlet Mediapart is putting together a bombshell report to publish during Cannes with several new #MeToo allegations, there has been much speculation regarding how it will impact the festival.

Alluding to the massive backlash last year over the selection of Maiwenn’s Johnny Depp movie “Jeanne du Barry” on opening night, Fremaux suggested he and Cannes president Iris Knobloch ensured the 77th edition wouldn’t include any obvious red flags, and said the ongoing “polemics” had nothing to do with the festival.

“Last year, as you know, we had a few polemics, and we realized it, and so this year we decided to host a festival without polemics to make sure that the main interest for us all to be here is cinema,” Fremaux said.

Cannes mayor David Lisnard has published a blistering critique of media coverage of #MeToo in France, suggesting that investigations into cinema figures accused of sexual harassment were not dissimilar to those of East Germany’s secret police into political dissidents.

Lisnard made the comments in an article published in French newspaper L’Opinion over the weekend, written in response to recent speculation in the local media and film industry that a bombshell #MeToo exposé was poised to drop during the Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off this Tuesday.

The rumor mill went into overdrive last week following a report in Le Figaro newspaper that the festival had hired a crisis management PR firm to help it navigate the potential impending storm.

“Just a few days ago, a rumor surfaced promising shattering revelations about ten well-known actors, producers and directors accused of sexual assault. That was all that was needed to...

French actress and activist Judith Godreche is among a group of protestors who have set up a demonstration outside the Cnc in Paris this morning calling for the organization’s head Dominique Boutonnat to be suspended.

Images of the protest began circulating widely on social media this morning and show Godreche alongside other demonstrators holding a banner outside the Cnc that reads “Separate the man from the Cnc.”

Rassemblement devant le Cnc pour demander la suspension de Dominique Boutonnat. pic.twitter.com/9O8zwCltIB

— Lara Clerc (@lara_clerc) May 13, 2024

pic.twitter.com/n8FYmpLdSr

— Caroline Besse (@Caroline_Besse) May 13, 2024

We first reported on impromptu plans by French industry insiders to host a demonstration at the Cnc against Boutonnat yesterday alongside a petition that was launched also calling for his dismissal.

The petition was launched by an anonymous group of activists Sunday afternoon who have said they belong to several French industry unions,...

Good afternoon Insiders, Jesse Whittock here with you today. Cannes is nearly here, and we’ve got you covered there, along with the rest of the noise from the international film and TV worlds.

Cannes Looms Large

The build-up: The 81st Cannes Film Festival kicks off in less than a week but all the early talk surrounding the fest is about events away from the big screen. The French industry is currently in a state of paralysis as speculation continues to mount in the local film industry over rumors that a bombshell #MeToo exposé will drop on the festival’s first day. There has been talk in the French film industry for weeks that a raft of accusations is due to break in the lead-up and during the upcoming edition. The rumors come amid a fresh #MeToo wave in France, sparked by actress and filmmaker Judith Godrèche’s decision to...

Cannes Film Festival President Iris Knobloch has said the event is paying close attention to the evolving #MeToo situation in France in an interview with celebrity magazine Paris Match.

The publication of the Q&a on Thursday came amid rising speculation within the French media and local film industry that a raft of #MeToo allegations is set to break in the lead up and during the upcoming 81st edition of the festival, running from May 14 to 25.

Quizzed on whether a film would be retained in Competition if its director were implicated in a sexual assault case, Knobloch replied the festival would make a decision on a case by case basis

“We’re extremely attentive to what is happening today, and we’re following the situation closely,” she said. “If the case of a person being implicated should arise, we will take care to make the right decision on a case-by-case basis,...

With less than a week to go until the kick-off of the 81st Cannes Film Festival, speculation is mounting in the French media and local film industry over rumors that a bombshell #MeToo exposé will drop on the day of the opening.

There has been talk in the French film industry for weeks that a raft of #MeToo accusations is due to break in the lead up and during the upcoming edition.

The rumors come amid a fresh #MeToo wave in France, sparked by actress and filmmaker Judith Godrèche’s decision to speak up about sexual abuse she says suffered as a teenager at the hands of director Benoît Jacquot. He has denied the allegations.

The speculation may come to nothing but an article by French newspaper Le Figaro last weekend headlined “#MeToo: before the Cannes Film Festival, the cinema industry is in a cold sweat” has sent the local rumor mill into overdrive.

The French film industry is bracing itself for further #MeToo-related revelations about multiple male actors, directors and producers following weeks of rumours and unsubstantiated reports.

They have culminated in a report in Le Figaro newspaper this week headlined, ’#MeToo: before the Cannes film festival, the film industry is in a cold sweat’.

Le Figaro claimed top talent “are losing sleep over it” and that “entire artistic teams are trembling” in fear their films will be overshadowed by such allegations. Cannes president Iris Knobloch told Le Figaro she and her team were maintaining “reinforced vigilance” and the festival was being advised...

French President Emmanuel Macron has clarified comments he made last year about Gérard Depardieu which seemed to suggest his support for the actor in the face of a tide of sexual assault accusations, which the latter has denied.

Speaking in an interview with French women’s magazine Elle, published on Wednesday, Macron suggested his comments had been misinterpreted and that he was not “complacent” about the issues around sexual harassment and abuse.

“I just want a respect for our principles, such as the presumption of innocence. These same principles which will allow justice to rule next October and that is a good thing.” he said.

Depardieu is due to be tried in October on charges of sexual assault on two women on a film set in 2021, while accusations of sexual assault and rape by actress Charlotte Arnould are also making their way through the courts.

In the backdrop a number...

Disney is edging closer to streaming profitability as it reported generally positive financials in its Q2 report on Tuesday – although shares plunged nearly 10% due to the ongoing decline in the linear TV business and a flat theme parks forecast for Q3.

Total Disney revenue climbed 1% year-on-year to $22.1bn, slightly below analysts’ expectations. The company said it remained on track to generate approximately $14bn in cash provided by operations and over $8bn of free cash flow this fiscal year.

Diluted earnings per share increased from 93 cents to $1.21 year-on-year and the company revised upwards its earnings per share growth target for the...

Disney is edging closer to streaming profitability as it reported generally positive financials in its Q2 report on Tuesday – although shares plunged 10% due to the ongoing decline in the linear TV business and a flat theme parks forecast for Q3.

Total Disney revenue climbed 1% year-on-year to $22.1m, slightly below analysts’ expectations. The company said it remained on track to generate approximately $14bn in cash provided by operations and over $8bn of free cash flow this fiscal year.

Diluted earnings per share increased from 93 cents to $1.21 year-on-year and the company’s revised earnings per share growth target for the year is...

Disney is edging closer to streaming profitability as it reported generally positive financials in its Q2 report on Tuesday – however that was not enough to prevent a 10% stock plunge due to several missed targets.

Operating income at the media giant’s streaming segment was $47m, a marked improvement on the $587m loss reported in the year-ago period. Revenue increased 13% to reach $5.6bn and executives confirmed they expect the steaming business to reach profit in Q4.

Core Disney+ subscribers increased by 6.3m in the second quarter to reach 117.6m, while Hulu added 500,000 members on SVoD and Live TV and SVoD to reach 50.2m.

The April 25 decision by the New York Court of Appeals to overturn Harvey Weinstein’s felony sex crime conviction looked like a major blow to the #MeToo movement in the U.S. and to the progress made within the U.S. film industry since 2017 (when the first allegations against Weinstein were made public).

In France, they are still waiting for that first wave of progress. The outrage triggered by #MeToo echoed across la grande nation — it even spawned a French counterpart, #Balancetonporc, or “Expose Your Pig” — but, until very recently, efforts to challenge the structure of the French entertainment industry came to very little.

That, it seems, is changing. U.S.-style measures, including the use of intimacy coordinators for sex scenes or chaperones to supervise the treatment of minors, are slowly becoming standard practice on French movie sets. #MeToo is “really at the center of our discussion now, in...

Moi Aussi Photo: © Maneki Films A surprise last minute addition has been added to the Cannes Film Festival’s roster with the inclusion of a short film directed by actress Judith Godrèche who recently has called out sexual harassment, claiming that she had been the victim as a minor of grooming by directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon. Both have denied the allegations of sexual assault.

The film Moi Aussi (Me Too) will be screened at the Un Certain Regard opening ceremony in the Salle Debussy of the Palais des Festivals and at the Cinéma de la Plage, with free admission, on May 15.

Judith Godrèche Photo: UniFrance Godrèche who has appeared in more than 50 films, aims to highlight the stories of victims of sexual violence. The festival organisers in a statement said: "These individual experiences add to her own, underscoring their sadly universal nature. The Festival de Cannes thus wishes...