The French actress, who participated in the liberation of speech after having filed a complaint against Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon, unveiled her short film in front of the Cannes public on Macé beach.
“This is the screening I dreamed of,” said with a big smile Judith Godreche in front of the public gathered on Macé beach. When the sun set on the Croisette this Wednesday, May 15, several spectators responded to discover the short film Me too of the French actress and director, feet in the sand, just after it was screened in front of an emotional audience at the opening of the parallel section Un certain regard.
Festival-goers were able to discover this very sensitive and melancholic film which highlights the difficulty for victims of sexual violence to talk about the attacks they have suffered. Judith Godrèche had the idea for the short film after opening an email box to encourage other victims to speak out, following her complaints filed against the directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon. She received more than 5,000 messages, and then invited those who wished to come and film this short film in a Parisian avenue. A thousand of them responded.
In Me too, we discover an anonymous crowd, at first silent and motionless. In the middle, the daughter of the actress Tess Barthelemy begins to dance in a white dress, mimicking with her body and her gestures the liberation of speech while she reads in voice-over the testimonies of people victims of sexual violence mixed together, before to unite, through words and actions. In a very organic way, Judith Godrèche depicts the MeToo wave, this very special bond which is born between victims who recognize each other, the pain of being muzzled by silence, the liberation of having spoken and realizing that we are not alone.
“It’s your film, you’re the stars of this evening.”
“This film now belongs to you,” commented Judith Godrèche while presenting this film to the Cannes public, some of whom discovered the film along the railings of Macé beach. Among the spectators, people who testified and participated in the short film responded. “I am very, very proud to be able to share this moment with you, declared the actress before the screening, very proud to be here at the Cannes Film Festival, in this place which anchors films forever in the history of cinema, in this place where the biggest stars climb the steps This evening, when I walked up the steps, it was you that I thought of, it’s your film, you are the stars of this evening. who are beautiful, who are beautiful, and I am so proud to share this moment with you. This project is yours.
“It’s important to give visibility” to MeToo
Before the screening, several of the festival-goers present, French or foreign, discovered on site the subject of Judith Godrèche’s short film. Like Laura, 22, and her friends, many came this Wednesday evening to enjoy the Cinéma de la Plage first because it is the only place where you can watch films for free and without accreditation. Upon discovering the subject of the film, the young woman becomes curious: “It is important to give visibility to this subject, especially here where it is open to the general public. This may make some people think, and perhaps, give the courage to others to speak up to say ‘I too was a victim'”.
Her friend, Jade, didn’t know that it was this short film that was being screened before coming, but “wanted to see it because it’s an important subject.” Jeannine, 63, came knowing full well the film she was going to discover: “It’s a subject that challenges me and touches me, especially for my daughter and my grandchildren. It’s very courageous what does Judith Godrèche.” Just like Jeanine, Deborah is “touched, as a woman, by the subject of the liberation of speech”, while her friend Quentin discovered Judith Godrèche with her fight, believing that “it is time to confront the aggressors to that speech is freed and that happens less and less.” If the Cannes public welcomed Me too with generous applause at the end of the screening, spectators throughout France will be able to discover it in streaming on france.tv from May 25.