Paris – For powerful men in the film industry of France, this was a week of calculation.
Gérard Depardieu – The most famous actor in the country – was convicted of sexual assault. Two days later, the Cannes Film Festival prohibited another actor accused of rape for walking on the red carpet.
Together, decisions sent a message that France had resisted for a long time: that artistic brilliance can no longer protect those who abuse their power.
For decades, Depardieu was revered as the “sacred monster” of French cinema, an imposing talent whose glutonia, volatility and magnetism became part of their myth. With more than 250 films in his name, many believed that he would remain untouchable even after more than 20 women accused him of Inappropriate sexual behavior.
Now, that myth has broken. The verdict has revived a broader question that France has bends down since the dawn of #Metoo: Can a country that celebrates seduction and irreverence? Finally support their male icons for accounts?
France has long lived its own #MeToo contradiction with a long -standing belief in “L’E exce Exception Culturelle”. That talent, charm or intellect forgives misconduct and art excuse the artist. Catherine Deneuve has defended “the freedom to bother”, while Brigitte Bardot has ruled out feminism directly: “Feminism is not my thing. I like men.”
But the floor is changing, fast.
Depardieu received a suspended sentence of 18 months on Tuesday by two women grope in a 2021 film. He denies the charges and is attractive.
“It is the end of the impunity of the artists with a capital A,” he told The Associated Press Carine Durrieu Diebolt, lawyer of one of the two women who won their case against Depardieu. The verdict represented “a fastener to put the actors on a pedestal because they were talented,” he added.
Two days later, the prestigious Cannes Film Festival prohibited actor Théo Navarro-Mussy, accused of rape of three former partners, for attending the premiere of a film he stars in. Although the file was removed due to lack of evidence, women are relating their case as a civil complaint.
Navarro-Mussy denies bad actions. His lawyer said she does not know any continuous process against her.
What surprised was not only the decision, but who took it. The director of Cannes, Thierry Frémaux, had been seen for a long time as emblematic of the old guard. He defended Roman Polanski for years and continued projecting his films despite the guilty statement of the 1977 director in the United States by sex with a 13 -year -old boy. In 2018, when asked why Cannes still included Polanski, Frémaux said: “These are complicated issues.”
Frémaux opened the 2023 festival with a film starring Johnny DeppAlthough the actor’s highly public battle with ex -wife Amber heard about accusations of domestic abuse, in which he was never criminally accused. When asked about the reaction, Frémaux replied: “I only have one rule: it is the freedom to think and freedom of expression and acting within a legal framework.”
This week, the rules changed.
“Cannes’ decision, of course, is linked to the Depardieu verdict,” said Céline Piques de Osez Le Feminsme (“Dare Feminism!”), A group that campaigns against sexual violence. “(They have noticed) in which direction the wind blows. Frémaux is trying to correct errors.”
Not everyone welcomed the verdict, or what followed, as a cultural inflection point.
Fanny Ardant, one of the great Dames of French cinema and a friend from Depardieu for a long time, sat on her side in court. Now he is directing it in a film in Portugal, despite the conviction.
“Fanny Ardant? She lost the point completely,” Piques said. “She minimized violence, normalized them. That is the culture of rape, simply and plain.”
Juliette Binoche, president of the jury of Cannes and one of the most respected actresses in France, touched a moderation note: “It is not a monster. He is a man, one who, apparently, has been convenient for.”
In 2024, more than 22,000 violations in France were reported. Less than 3% led to convictions. “Depardieu’s verdict shows that there is progress,” said lawyer Anne-Sophie Laguens, who works with victims of sexual assault. “But for most women, barriers to justice are still huge.”
When Bertrand Cantat, leader of Noir Désir and once one of the best -selling rock singers in France, launched a tour of 2018, had turned only four years in prison for killing his partner, actress Marie Trintignant, during a violent assault.
Despite the public outrage, he returned to the stage and acted.
“That would be unthinkable today,” said Piques. “Public mood has changed. What we tolerate has changed.”
An advance did not arrive in the cinema, but in a Bordeaux court room. He Condition of 51 men for drugs and rape of Gisele Pelicot – A case ignored for a long time despite its pleas – marked a turning point. For years, shame was yours. Now, it belongs to the perpetrators.
“He tried that the rapists are not just strangers in the alleys,” said Piques. “They are husbands. Colleagues. Respected men.”
Other recent convictions in entertainment included director Christophe Ruggia, who was convicted of abusing actress Adèle Haenel when he was a minor, although he is attractive; and actor and director Nicolas Bedos, who was sentenced for sexual aggression.
Slow but sure, yes. The system that the protected men for a long time as Depardieu still do not dismantle, but is changing.
As one of the actor’s accusers said through tears after the ruling: “I am very satisfied with the decision. That is a victory for me, in reality. And a great progress, a step forward. I feel justice was done.”
