French actor Gérard Depardieu will face a criminal trial in October over the alleged sexual assaults in 2021 of two women on the set of a film, prosecutors announced. The latest episode involving Depardieu came as French cinema is roiled by a #MeToo awakening following actor Judith Godrèche’s call for France’s film industry to “face the truth."

Paris

French actor Gérard Depardieu is set to face a criminal trial in October due to allegations of sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, according to prosecutors. This news emerges amidst a broader reckoning within the French film industry, commonly associated with the #MeToo movement, which aims to address sexual misconduct. The movement in France gained momentum following an appeal by actor Judith Godrèche, urging the national cinema sector to confront its issues.

The #MeToo movement, initiated by American activist Tarana Burke in 2006 to encourage survivors of sexual violence to share their experiences, became globally prominent in 2017. This was catalyzed by the allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, prompting numerous individuals across various industries to disclose their encounters with sexual assault. In France, the movement, popularized under the hashtag BalanceTonPorc, or ExposeYourPig, saw significant participation from women detailing their experiences of sexual violence on social media. However, this wave of testimonies faced criticism, most notably through a public letter in 2018 signed by 100 notable French women, including actress Catherine Deneuve, challenging the movement's approach.

Amidst this clash of perspectives, claims of sexual misconduct against Depardieu added fuel to the debate, even drawing comments from President Emmanuel Macron in the actor's defense, highlighting the nation's divided stance. Despite the controversies, advocates like Judith Godrèche have made pivotal strides, such as testifying to the French Parliament about the prevalent issue of sexual violence within the film industry. In a significant move towards reform, Godrèche, alongside other actresses, established an association aimed at implementing changes on movie sets, including the integration of intimacy coordinators to ensure a safer environment for actors during the filming of sex scenes.



French cinema roiled by a #MeToo awakening

We are in a critical moment. It was back in 2006 when the American activist Tarana Burke first used the words Me Too to encourage survivors of sexual violence to come forward with their stories. It would take almost a decade for the hashtag to go viral. Sparked by the case against the powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, in 2017 victims started coming forward to share their accounts of sexual assault, leading to the downfall of several powerful men in Hollywood and beyond. In France, using the hashtag BalanceTempsPort, or ExposeYourPig, tens of thousands of women flooded social media with their accounts of rape and harassment. They were met almost immediately with resistance. A public letter signed in 2018 by 100 notable women, including the French actress Catherine Deneuve, denounced the campaign, saying it was fuelled by a hatred of men. Rape is a crime, but trying to seduce someone, even persistently or clumsily, is not, nor is being gentlemanly a macho attack. The public response to the letter polarised opinion in France, as did claims of sexual misconduct against the celebrated actor Gérard Depardieu. President Emmanuel Macron even came to the actor's defence, saying he was the subject of a manhunt and deserved the presumption of innocence. In spite of the backlash, there are signs that attitudes in France may be shifting. Earlier this year, actress Judith Godrej, who claimed she was abused by two directors as a teenager, became the first to testify to the French Parliament about sexual violence and abuse in the French film industry. And I was carrying the guilt of my childhood. The reason women don't talk for 30 years is not because they talk when it's time to be on the cover of a magazine or there's something. When they don't talk for 30 years, it's because they're ashamed. In 2021, Godrej and others formed an association of actresses to push for changes on French movie sets, including the presence of so-called intimacy coordinators, who are trained to help actors and film crews navigate sex scenes.

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