France’s annual film awards ceremony took a somber flip Friday with a standing ovation for actress Judith Godreche who spoke out in opposition to sexual violence within the movie business. “Why accept that this art that we love so much, this art that unites us, be used as a cover for illicit trafficking of young women?” Godreche informed the forty ninth Cesar Awards ceremony.

“I think we are really seeing the French #MeToo now — it took us some time and we’re going through it now,” mentioned French director Justine Triet, whose movie “Anatomy of a Fall” received a number of awards together with finest film, finest director and finest actress. Police opened an investigation earlier this month after Godreche filed a criticism for sexual violence in opposition to French movie director Benoit Jacquot, 77, with whom she had a relationship within the late Eighties when she was a minor.

Reuters couldn’t attain Jacquot for remark. He has informed Le Monde newspaper his first sexual relationship with Godreche occurred after her fifteenth birthday, the authorized age of consent in France. Godreche informed French media she was 14. In his interview with Le Monde, Jacquot, who’s 25 years older than Godreche, denied any violence in direction of her.

Leftist union CGT Spectacle held a protest exterior the Cesar venue. “Judith Godreche has had the courage to talk about her story … about the sexual violence so many women have suffered in a professional environment,” CGT mentioned.

Culture Minister Rachida Dati – one of many first within the viewers to face after Godreche’s remarks – mentioned this week that the French movie business was solely now changing into conscious of “collective blindness that lasted for years” relating to sexual violence in French cinema. She informed Le Film Francais that artwork was no excuse for crime. “We are not talking about art, but pedocriminality,” she mentioned.

Godreche, who starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio within the 1998 “The Man in the Iron Mask”, had a breakout position in a 1986 Jacquot film. The allegations come simply weeks after Gerard Depardieu got here beneath fireplace for making lewd feedback about ladies in a TV programme. The actor has been the main target of accusations of sexual violence lately. He has denied wrongdoing.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)