French MPs have criticised “endemic” abuse in the entertainment sector after a months-long inquiry into sexual violence that saw stars and other actors reveal instances of bullying and assault. The inquiry, led by feminist Greens MP Sandrine Rousseau, was spurred by allegations from Judith Godreche, who accused two French directors — Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon — of abusing her when she was a teenager. Both deny the charges. In a final damning report, seen by AFP ahead of its release on Wednesday, the inquiry accused the entertainment sector of being a “talent grinding machine” and made 86 recommendations to better protect actors and children on set. “Moral, sexist, and sexual violence in the cultural sector is systemic, endemic, and persistent,” read a conclusion from Rousseau, who has overseen six months of hearings that saw testimony from 350 people in the film, theatre and TV sectors. The report comes following the sexual assault trial last month of screen legend Gerard Depardieu, who is the highest-profile figure to face criminal accusations following the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to speak out against violence. #MeToo was publicly resisted by some in the French entertainment sector when it first emerged in 2017, including actress Catherine Deneuve, who saw it as a puritan American import that encouraged unsubstantiated allegations to be aired. Depardieu, who faces accusations from around a dozen women, was backed by 60 film and art figures in a 2023 petition, while President Emmanuel Macron has called him a “towering actor” who “makes France proud”. The report questions the prevalent view in France that law-breaking behaviour by top cultural figures can be excused in the name of art. “The ‘cultural exception’, but at what price?” the report asks. “In our country, there’s a cult of talent and creative genius,” Erwan Balanant, a centrist MP on the commission, told AFP.

French MPs have criticised “endemic” abuse in the entertainment sector after a months-long inquiry into sexual violence that saw stars and other actors reveal instances of bullying and assault. The inquiry, led by feminist Greens MP Sandrine Rousseau, was spurred by allegations from Judith Godreche, who accused two French directors — Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon — of abusing her when she was a teenager. Both deny the charges. In a final damning report, seen by AFP ahead of its release on Wednesday, the inquiry accused the entertainment sector of being a “talent grinding machine” and made 86 recommendations to better protect actors and children on set. “Moral, sexist, and sexual violence in the cultural sector is systemic, endemic, and persistent,” read a conclusion from Rousseau, who has overseen six months of hearings that saw testimony from 350 people in the film, theatre and TV sectors. The report comes following the sexual assault trial last month of screen legend Gerard Depardieu, who is the highest-profile figure to face criminal accusations following the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to speak out against violence. #MeToo was publicly resisted by some in the French entertainment sector when it first emerged in 2017, including actress Catherine Deneuve, who saw it as a puritan American import that encouraged unsubstantiated allegations to be aired. Depardieu, who faces accusations from around a dozen women, was backed by 60 film and art figures in a 2023 petition, while President Emmanuel Macron has called him a “towering actor” who “makes France proud”. The report questions the prevalent view in France that law-breaking behaviour by top cultural figures can be excused in the name of art. “The ‘cultural exception’, but at what price?” the report asks. “In our country, there’s a cult of talent and creative genius,” Erwan Balanant, a centrist MP on the commission, told AFP.

by admin

April 8, 2025

in Showbiz

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