More than 100 men working in the French film world have written an open letter in support of the #MeToo movement.
Signatories include filmmakers Jacques Audiard, Abderrahmane Sissako, Cyril Dion, Eric Lartigau, and Emmanuel Mouret, alongside actors such as Mathieu Amalric, Anatomy Of A Fall’s Swann Arlaud, and Reda Kateb.
France Televisions’ head of cinema Manuel Alduy, producer Marc Missonnier, and designer Christian Lacroix have also added ther names.
The letter, spearheaded by actress Anouk Grinberg’s husband and mathematician Michel Broué and published on Elle magazine’s website, stated “it is revolting that theatre and cinema should be used as a cover for abuses that have nothing to do with art”. What is at stake, they said, is “sparing more than half of humanity serious aggression”.
The group added: “It’s inadmissible to say that ’it was a different time, we didn’t realise’: ’assault’, ’humiliation’ and ’rape’ all referred to the same behaviour a few years ago. It has always been destructive for the victims.”
The strongly-worded letter has reignited the flames of what has been months of incendiary accusations against famed figures in the French film industry like Gerard Depardieu, Benoit Jacquot, and Jacques Doillon, and comes just a fortnight ahead of the kick-off of Cannes Film Festival.
Amidst backlash from such accusations, the men said: “Contrary to what we sometimes read, we do not believe that ’men are being picked on’ and “Those who claim ’we can no longer say or do anything’ confuse freedom of expression with privilege, and imply that the mistreatment of victims suited them.”
Just days earlier, actress Juliette Binoche opened up in an interview with French newspaper Liberation in which she described in detail an experience on set of Andre Techine’s 1985 film Rendez-Vous.
Binoche said was the victim of inappropriate touching and accused directors like Liberty Belle’s Pascal Kané and The Unbearable Lightness Of Being’s Philip Kaufman of making unwelcome advances.
“In the 90s there wasn’t a script without a nude scene” she said, adding: “The low blows, the inappropriate gestures, the sexist remarks: I haven’t forgotten them.”
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