The discussion was started by the well-known French actress Judith Godrèche, whose short film about victims of abuse was shown at the film festival.
CANNES The biggest topic of conversation at the Cannes Film Festival this year has been the sexual abuse of children and young people that has overshadowed the French film industry for decades and the culture of silence surrounding it.
A French actor and director was seen at the festival Judith Godrèchen personal Moi Aussi short film about victims of abuse.
Godrèche has spoken about the sexual violence he experienced as a teenage actor and demanded improvements in the practices of the film industry.
– There are many people in the French film industry who would like a change, but there are also many who oppose it. I have received letters from producers who have threatened me, Godrèche said to the French newspaper Le Point in an interview he gave in Cannes.
Respected French directors are accused of abuse and rape
Godrèche spoke about the abuse she experienced as a minor actress for the first time at the French Oscars, or the César gala, at the end of February.
The now 52-year-old Godrèche said that he was influenced by respected French directors by Benoît Jacquot and by Jacques Doillon to be exploited and raped. Godrèche acted in their films when she was 14 and 15 years old.
She had a years-long relationship with Jacquot, who was more than 25 years her senior, which Godrèche described as sexual abuse. Doillon, on the other hand, pressured the teenage Godrèche to film sex scenes with him.
Godrèche filed criminal charges against both directors in February of this year, and the French police have started an investigation into the cases. The directors have denied the accusations.
Godrèche’s coming out has encouraged several other actors to talk about similar experiences.
Young women talk about sexual violence on film sets
The women interviewed by in Cannes are satisfied with the current discussion.
– It is normal that there is a lot of fuss about this and it is high time that things are talked about, says someone who works in a French production company Laura Renault.
He estimates that the discussion in France has been delayed by the film industry’s internal code system and people’s worries about their jobs.
A 23-year-old film industry employee says that he himself has been the target of sexual violence.
– I was 18 years old and working on the first shooting of a feature film, when the director sexually assaulted me. It was a really big blow to me, and I haven’t talked about it to anyone before, says the person who appears only by his first name Nina.
According to him, luckily, things have improved recently.
– There has been some progress in contractual matters and the workers have slightly better legal security in production, says Nina.
Act to protect minors
Various organizations of the French film industry signed a new convention in Cannes on Friday, which protects minors in filming situations. In turn, the French Senate has started an investigation into the treatment of minors in the film and theater world.
– The film world can easily absorb a child actor and his parents. Because of this, borders must be precisely defined and monitored, Godrèche said in Cannes.
In France, artists have traditionally been granted different freedoms, and the #metoo debate that started in 2017 was quickly ignored in the French film industry at first.
In France, for example, an actor has been debated From Gérard Depardieu, who is suspected of rape and sexual harassment. President Emmanuel Macron and a number of French artists have come to the defense of the legendary actor.