The Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, denounces a
“collective blindness, a blindness which has lasted for years”
on the subject of sexual violence in French cinema, in the magazine
Le Film Français
on Friday.
His speech comes a few hours before the 49th César ceremony, Friday evening at the Olympia, against a backdrop of freedom of speech around sexual violence in the seventh art.
“Today, an entire system is becoming aware of its collective blindness, a blindness that has lasted for years
,” underlines the minister, who welcomes the actions of Judith Godrèche.
The actress became the leading figure of French #MeToo after filing a complaint against directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon for sexual and physical violence during her adolescence, which the latter deny.
“Judith Godrèche said such simple things. She said: ''I was a child. You saw everything and no one said anything, no one reached out to me
,'” recalls Rachida Dati.
“This is not a reality that I am discovering today. It's not for nothing that I became a magistrate. I believe in justice. These crimes, when they are not prescribed, which is unfortunately often the case, must be punished
,” the government member continues.
“Creative freedom is total but here, we are not talking about art, we are talking about child abuse. Having sexual relations with a minor under the age of fifteen is a crime
,” continues Rachida Dati.
Before concluding:
“This is a profound questioning that is opening up for French cinema.”