Rachida Dati denounces a “blindness that lasted for years” in the cinema industry

The César ceremony, which is being held this Friday, will undoubtedly be marked by the Jacquot, Doillon and Depardieu affairs. The Minister of Culture salutes in the magazine “Le Film français” the women who have recently spoken out and given new impetus to French #MeToo.

The Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, denounces this Friday in the magazine French Film A “collective blindness, a blindness that lasted for years” on the subject of sexual violence in French cinema. His speech comes a few hours before the 49th César ceremony, Friday evening at the Olympia, against a backdrop of freedom of speech around sexual violence in the 7th art.

“Today, an entire system is becoming aware of its collective blindness, a blindness that has lasted for years,” underlines the minister, who welcomes the testimonies and actions of Judith Godrèche. The actress became the leading figure of French #MeToo after filing a complaint against directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon for sexual and physical violence during her adolescence, which the latter deny.

The Judith Godrèche wave is sweeping French cinema

Judith Godreche “said such simple things. She said: ‘I was a child. You saw everything and no one said anything, no one reached out to me”, recalls Rachida Dati. “This is not a reality that I am discovering today. It is not for nothing that I became a magistrate. I believe in justice. These crimes, when they are not prescribed, which is unfortunately often the case, are punished”, the member of the government is still unfolding.

“Creative freedom is total, but here, we are not talking about art, we are talking about child abuse. Having sexual relations with a minor under the age of 15 is a crime,” continues Rachida Dati, before concluding: “It’s a profound questioning that is opening up for French cinema.”

Judith Godrèche filed a complaint against directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon for sexual and physical violence which dates back to her adolescence. She has become a spearhead of the #MeToo movement in France. “Let’s not talk about my presence or absence at the Césars, let’s talk about the 2 990 women, mothers and men who wrote to me in seven days, let’s talk about child victims of incest”she added on Instagram. “The Caesars and I are nothing”also writes the actress, who denounced a “omerta” around the subject in the cinema and created an email address to collect other testimonies from potential victims.