“It’s a disgrace, a downright disgrace!” cried actress Adèle Haenel in fullCésar ceremony when director Roman Polanski, accused of rape, was awarded the2020 prize for best director. Two years later, the organizers want to avoidany new controversy now that actor Sofiane Bennacer is under investigation forrape. Anyone who is even slightly discredited by sexual misconduct is nolonger welcome at the ceremony.
Kristof Simons
Today at 05:00
It can be. In May, Sofiane Bennacer posed with a broad smile on the red carpetof the Cannes festival. Les almonds (Forever young), the film about sex, drugsand drama in a Parisian drama school, then competed for the Palme d’Or. Itearned the 25-year-old male protagonist later that year a nomination for theCésar of most promising actor. But he can forget that price since the courthas launched an investigation into rape and domestic violence against four ofhis ex-partners.
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Remember Polanski
Although the actor proclaims his innocence and he has not yet been charged,the Académie des Césars promptly removed him from the list of nominees. “Outof respect for the possible victims,” it sounded. Now, the same organizingcommittee has decided that anyone who is active in the film world and “isdiscredited for sexual or sexist misconduct that can be prosecuted”, is nolonger welcome at the award ceremony. Other invitees are also not allowed tospeak “on behalf of this person” on stage, even “if he or she emerges as thewinner after the second round of voting”.
In this way, the Académie hopes to avoid a repeat of the Polanski polemic from2020. The controversial Polish-French filmmaker is accused of raping a womanin 1975 and then drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl in the United Statestwo years later. He pleaded guilty, but fled to Europe before sentencing.Although women still accused him of abuse, Roman Polanski received the Césarfor best director in 2020 for “J’accuse”, his film about the Dreyfuss affair.The entire evening was held in front of the hall where the ceremony tookplace. And when Polanski emerged as the winner and the audience applauded,some actresses, led by a seething Adèle Haenel, left the audience. Polanskihimself wisely sent his cat that night.
Roman Polanski’s nomination (and later win) for best director in 2020 angeredmany French people. — ©AFP
“Lynching by the media”
The decision to deprive Bennacer of his nomination did not go down well witheveryone. Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, director of the film, called the allegations”a lynching by the media”. She admitted knowing about the allegations, but “Itold the producers these rumors wouldn’t stop me and I couldn’t imagine makingthe movie without him.” Also her half-sister, pointed out premier lady CarlaBruni-Sarkozy, intervened in the debate: she believes that Bennacer’spresumption of innocence, “one of the foundations of the rule of law”, hasbeen violated.
“The presumption of innocence is always sacred. Always,” says ChristineMussche, the lawyer who represented victims in two historic MeToo trialsagainst Bart De Pauw and Jan Fabre. “That is why I always advocate the utmostcaution and discretion while the investigation is ongoing. Especially insituations where it is word against word, you cannot be discreet enough.However, if several complaints come up, then you are in a MeToo dynamic, andexperience shows that people do not freely make such serious accusations. Ofcourse I don’t know the French case, I can only hope that the people of thatAcadémie have not rushed ahead, but have thought carefully first, because thereputation of that young actor has been damaged enormously.”