“Why accept that this art that unites us is used as a cover for the illicit trafficking of girls?”, asked Judith Godrèche on the César stage. “You have to be careful with girls, they reach the bottom of the pool, they get hurt. , but they recover”, he added, appealing to victims to believe. The 49th edition of the French Film Academy awards, equivalent to the Oscars, on Friday in the historic Olympia room, was marked by high tension, with victims of sexual violence and gender in the industry hoping that the event would be a milestone. The issue immediately arose in the introductory words of actress and director Valérie Lemercier, who 'chaired' the night that consecrated “Anatomy of a Fall” as the Best Film and five more prizes. “I will not leave here without praising those who are shaking up the habits and customs of a very ancient world where the bodies of some were implicitly at the disposal of the bodies of others”, he stressed. The (announced) participation of Judith Godrèche, who spoke in the first hour of the ceremony about sexual violence and the silence and complicity of decades in the French film industry, which seemed immune to the impact of the North American #MeToo movement. Already weakened by Gérard Depardieu's misogynistic statements and behavior, worsened by complaints in court of several women for rape, the foundations of the wall of silence shook even more in the last two weeks after the actress, currently 51 years old, accused the prestigious directors Benoît Jacquot (currently 77 years old) and Jacques Doillon (79) of having raped her when she was a teenager in the 1980s. This new wave of accusations is followed in the background by actresses Isild Le Besco and Anna Mouglalis. At the beginning of an almost six-minute speech, the actress acknowledged: “It's complicated being ahead of all of you tonight. It's a funny time for us, isn't it? A ghost of the Americas [#MeToo] come and break down the armored door. Who would have imagined?”.The actress received a standing ovation, but her words about the industry's “level of impunity, denial and privilege” sounded like a collective accusation.”For some time now the words have become looser, the image of our idealized parents has been tarnished, the power seems to be almost wavering. Is it possible that we can face the truth? Assume our responsibilities? To be the actors, the actresses of a universe that questions itself? I've been talking for a while, I've been talking for a while but I can't hear you. Or I barely hear you. Where are? What do they say?”, she said. “I know it's scary: losing subsidies, losing papers, losing your job. I'm afraid too,” she admitted. “We are at the dawn of a new day. We might decide that the men accused of rape seem to be the ones making decisions in the movies. It sets the tone, as they say. We cannot ignore the truth because it is not about our child, our son, our daughter. We cannot have such a level of impunity, denial and privilege that morality goes over our heads. We must also set an example”, she cried. The actress also referred to the two thousand people who sent her their testimony in four days: “You know, in order to believe in ourselves, we still need them to believe in us”. Jacquot after filming “Les mendiants” under his direction in 1986. The young woman went to live with him at the age of 15, without her parents allegedly objecting. He was 39 years old. At this time, she also filmed under the supervision of Doillon, whom she accuses of abusive behavior. Judith Godrèche and Jacques Doillon in “The Fifteen Year Old Girl”” data-title=”#MeToo has (finally) arrived at the “French Oscars”: Judith Godrèche's tough speech at the César awards – SAPO Mag”> Judith Godrèche and Jacques Doillon in “The Fifteen Year Old Girl” The two filmmakers deny the accusations and Jacquot assures that it was he who was under the “power” of an ambitious actress. The relationship between Godrèche and Jacquot was lived before the eyes of public opinion for six years , and in particular French cinema and television, where they acted. Before the César ceremony, around a hundred people demonstrated in front of the theater where the event took place, at the request of the CGT union, to support the victims.“ All together we can really help things change, a truly better world can open up”, declared actress Anna Mouglalis, who accused directors Philippe Garrel and Jacques Doillon of having sexually assaulted her. Even before the opening of the festivities, the minister of French Culture Rachida Dati, also present, criticized a “collective blindness” that “has lasted for years” in the cinema sector, in an interview with Le Film French magazine. “Creative freedom is total, but here we are not talking about art, we are talking about children's crimes”, referring to Judith Godrèche. From the accusation of rape and sexual assault of Gérard Depardieu to the accusations made by Judith Godrèche, followed by other actresses, sexual violence haunts French cinema more than ever. Actor Aurélien Wiik launched the hashtag #MeTooGarçons on the social network Instagram this Thursday.
#MeToo has (finally) reached "French Oscars": Judith Godrèche's tough speech at the César awards
