Polanski, renewal, parity ... first snags in the reform of the Caesars

"Treason", "trap", "stratagem" ... This is how many members recently elected to the Caesars, seven months after the resignation of the old management, qualify the "surprise" they had Monday evening.

While the composition of the new general assembly was unveiled, they learned that the 164 professionals elected by the 4,313 voters for the statuettes were added the 18 members of the old structure who asked to be renewed.

However, among these "old", we find Roman Polanski, accused of rape by several women.

Filmmaker Andréa Bescond was one of the first to express her anger on Instagram: “We are discovering that historical members remain, including Roman Polanski.

NO!!

"And the director of" Tickles "to specify that she would not participate in this" masquerade "if these" old statutes "did not change.

His companion Eric Métayer also posted a video on Twitter, alluding to the gesture of Adèle Haenel, who left the Pleyel room when Polanski received the César for best director.

“This time, no one will leave the room except the people who have nothing more to do there,” he said.

Newly elected as Andréa Bescond, the actor announces that he will ask from the first GA that "the historical members be elected like the others and that members who have nothing to do there and who are not wanted in this academy are go away ”.

If Eric Métayer directly targets Polanski, the new representatives of the Césars denounce above all a lack of transparency and democracy.

View this post on Instagram

@academiedescesar, we ask that only those present at the votes be nominated.

You want renewal, historic members don't have to stay in this new energy.

It is a masquerade in which we cannot participate.

Thank you for reacting, for changing these old statutes, otherwise, it will be without us.

A post shared by Andréa Bescond (@andrea_bescond) on Sep 14, 2020 at 11:57 pm PDT

"There is a false start"

“I'm not pointing the finger at anyone, I'm talking about a democratic principle,” says producer Marc Missonnier.

All members of the GA must be put to the vote.

There, it is a false start for the Caesars.

"" We fought to transform an anti-democratic association into a democratic association, but we see that the fight is not yet won ", adds his colleague Saïd ben Saïd.

"Some, obviously, focus on Polanski, but the fight should not be reduced to his case", specifies Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar.

The director of "Ciel attendra" ensures that after the resignation of the board of directors of the Caesars, "never (she) could have imagined" the maintenance of former members.

And emphasizes that with their presence, 16 men and 2 women, parity is shattered.

Asked about the Polanski case, Sandrine Brauer, the producer and co-founder of the 50/50 collective which campaigns for more parity within the cinema, regrets that “we cannot turn this page”.

But above all, it emphasizes the "breach of confidence" that constitutes the mechanical renewal of former members of the GA.

"The old board of directors led a counter-revolution," she explains.

It imposed its statutes, although we had received oral guarantees concerning transparency and absolute parity.

The statutes were voted in the middle of summer, after confinement… Because we did not read the asterisk B12 of the regulations, we got screwed!

"With the 50/50 collective, Sandrine Brauer plans to request a modification of the statutes of the César, but does not exclude the possibility of a resignation ... The first GA, on September 29, promises to be stormy.