This year’s Cannes Film Festival kicked off with Gerard Depardieu‘s 18-month suspended sentence for sexual assault on two women during the filming of “The Green Shutters.” While that case itself has nothing to do with the festival, the sentencing of Depardieu, once a frequent presence at Cannes, was a reminder of how far France has come in embracing the #MeToo movement it was initially slow to champion.
And that wasn’t the only sign of shifting attitudes in the country and its most prominent showcase for cinema when it comes to sexual violence. This year, Cannes has issued a new rule banning filmmakers or talent accused of sexual misconduct from walking the red carpet and presenting films at the festival. Because of the change, the festival forbid Theo Navarro-Mussy from attending the premiere of Dominik Moll’s “Case 137” because he has been accused of rape and sexual assault. Although the case against Navarro-Mussy was dropped, his accusers plan to lodge an appeal.
It marks the first time in the festival’s 78-year history that kind of ban has been put in place, and stands in stark contrast to previous years when Roman Polanski, Woody Allen and Johnny Depp were warmly received on the Croisette. Just four years ago, Depardieu, who had been indicted on rape charges in 2020, presented a movie, “Robuste,” a year later as part of Critics’ Week’s opening night.
Cannes isn’t the only major French film institution to have altered its stance on actors and artists accused of sexual violence or harassment. Four years after awarding Polanski with its best director prize, the Cesar Awards issued a rule in 2025 that said that the Cesar board will suspend or expel members who are accused of acts of violence, particularly those of a sexist or sexual nature.
During an interview with Variety ahead of Cannes, festival chief Thierry Frémaux said that Cannes “must be vigilant” because it plays such a crucial role in the initial launch of these films. If it endorses an artist with a history of problematic behavior, it runs the risk of legitimizing that person.
He said the festival will now “…guarantee that the films submitted have respected and continue respecting the safety, integrity and dignity of all contributors and comply with legal obligations.” In the previous two editions of the festival, some #MeToo concerns were raised, notably last year, when rumors started swirling that the investigative magazine Mediapart was preparing to drop a bombshell article detailing allegations against several actors whose films were playing at the festival.
No article of the sort was every produced. However, earlier this year a French Parliamentary commission found that sexual harassment and sexual violence in the entertainment industry in France are “endemic.”
Its report has put pressure on the industry to change its practices. The National Film Board’s new president, Gaetan Bruel, has promised that growing #MeToo concerns will be central to the way the organization behind the country’s film subsidy program operates.
“Cinema has always had a mission to inspire, but in the past it has too often done so at the cost of behaviors that can no longer be tolerated today,” he said. “The conditions under which work is produced matter.”
Bruel said that beyond the ethical concerns raised by sexual violence on set, producers should also be concerned about the commercial damage that can be caused by casting talent who have been accused of sexual misconduct, highlighting several cases of movies that underperformed in theaters after filmmakers were embroiled in controversy. He specifically mentioned director Samuel Theis, who is under investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting a crew member in 2024 and whose film “Je le jure” recently tanked.
“Not only is this kind of behavior simply unacceptable, but from the perspective of the future of our industry, if we don’t listen to this, we risk fueling a form of disaffection among the general public,” Bruel said.
Looking back at 2024, France’s biggest media story was the country’s #MeToo boom. After failing to gain real momentum in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal more than seven years ago, the feminist movement finally found its catalyst in 2024. It started out with the crusade of French actor Judith Godrèche, who called out abuses in the film world. But what shook the core of French society was the case of Gisele Pelicot, a 67-year-old retiree who discovered that her husband had drugged her and invited men to rape her at their home in the French Riviera for more than 10 years.
The Pelicot trial, which received wall-to-wall coverage in France and across the globe, stretched over three months and sifted through 51 defendants, who were all found guilty. The trial culminated with a 20-year prison sentence for Dominique Pelicot, who admitted that he raped his wife and recruited strangers online to come to their home and abuse her while she was sedated. The remaining 50 defendants received prison sentences that varied between eight to 10 years. While Dominique Pelicot hasn’t appealed the verdict, 17 of the other defendants have filed an appeal and will stand a second trial in late 2025.
The extent of the media coverage for the Pelicot trial was unprecedented in France, says Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, a filmmaker who has dedicated his career to making documentaries and features about sexual violence, including “Samber,” a limited series about a French serial rapist that explores the damages of sexual violence against women and children. De Lestrade says the persistent challenges in achieving widespread societal change in France is caused by a continued resistance and the influence of class and generational differences.
But there has already been signs of a backlash to the movement. Caroline Fourest, a feminist and filmmaker, recently rocked the boat with a book called “Le vertige MeToo” (“The #MeToo Vertigo”), which argued that all of the different alleged offenders were being painted with the same brush. There are gradations of offense, Fourest argued, even as she praised the movement for sparking a necessary debate around sexual abuse and power.
“The tricky part” with the way that #MeToo has taken shape in France “is simply not to put everything under the #MeToo hashtag, so as not to wear it out and weaken it,” she said. “When we end up confusing all cases or putting all situations on the same level, we end up treating them with the same emotion, we end up trivializing #MeToo, sometimes even ridiculing #MeToo, at a time when it needs to remain very relevant in order to be fully democratized.”