The filmmaker Roman Polanski, who had given up going to the last Caesar ceremony under pressure from feminists after new accusations of rape, is ex officio among the 182 representatives of the new general assembly of the academy of arts and techniques cinema, we learned on Tuesday.
Read also: Polanski and the Oscars, it's over, confirms the court
On September 29, this new assembly, whose members were appointed Monday evening, will elect for a two-year mandate, renewable once, the new board of directors of the association of Caesar.
It will also elect a woman / man tandem for the presidency.
In recent months, the Caesars have been shaken by a serious crisis: several of its members and cinema personalities criticize an operation deemed opaque, a form of self-esteem and above all a lack of parity.
This crisis had reached a climax during the Caesar ceremony on February 28, with the sensational departure of Adèle Haenel, who denounced the prize for best director awarded to Roman Polanski (for "
J'accuse
").
A few days before this ceremony, the board of directors, chaired since 2003 by producer Alain Terzian, had resigned en bloc.
As part of a mediation under the aegis of the National Cinema Center (CNC), an interim president, producer Margaret Menegoz, had been appointed and an extraordinary general assembly had begun a reform.
It is in this context that the new representatives of the general assembly were elected on Monday by the 4,313 members of the César academy (actors, directors, producers, technicians ...).
Read also: Caesar 2020: Adèle Haenel looks back on the reasons for his departure after Polanski's victory
As "
historical members
", Roman Polanski and producer Thomas Langmann, sentenced in 2019 for harassment towards his wife, were admitted ex officio after making the request.
Alain Terzian, criticized by the rebels for his management of the former Academy of the Césars, is also part of the new general assembly as a historic member.
"
The current statutes were simply applied,
" Margaret Menegoz told AFP.
About Roman Polanski, the interim president of the Caesar did not comment, simply recalling that on a personal level, "
she has always separated the work of the person
".
On Tuesday, the actor Eric Métayer, among the new elected representatives of the general assembly, posted on Twitter a video message disapproving without naming them the designation of certain members, and wishing that "
those who have nothing to do there, s 'go away
'.
He also calls for all members to be elected from now on.