The tide of the #MeToo movement to denounce abuses in cinema broke out this Monday with force on the eve of the start of the 77th Cannes Film Festivalfilled with Hollywood stars.
At the most important annual event in the world of cinema, Cannes Film Festivalcelebrities such as Francis Ford Coppola, Richard Gere, George Lucas, Meryl Streep and Demi Moore will parade and be honored.
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But the French wave of #MeToo threatened to overshadow the start of the contest.
The presence of the new heroine of the movement in France, the actress Judith Godrèche, who reported rape against two filmmakers who allegedly abused her when she was a teenagerattracts all eyes.
On the Croisette there are rumors about an alleged list of names of French film stars who could be accused in public.
Godrèche, who will present a short film made after receiving hundreds of testimonies from alleged victims in the last year, She assured on the X network that she has no intention of disclosing any list.
But the magazine Elle published an investigation into the testimony of nine women, who anonymously accused a prestigious producer, Alain Sarde, currently 72 years old.
For decades, Sarde would have used his power to rape or sexually assault young French cinema hopefuls, according to these testimonies, refuted by the producer’s lawyer.
Sarde is a prestigious name in French cinema, producer of about 200 films, recalls the Elle article.
“There are no rumors coming from the festival,” For his part, the general delegate of the event, Thierry Frémaux, stated in a meeting with the press.
Also looming over the festival is a possible strike called by a small association of cultural festival workers in France.
This group has mobilized in response to the changes in the social protection system that benefits temporary workers in the sector, and which come into effect in July.
The Cannes Film Festival has declared itself open to a “dialogue” on the conflict, which actually exceeds its powers.
The escape of Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof
In addition to the claims, Cannes could find itself involved in a political controversy this year.
One of his contenders for the Palme d’Or, the Iranian Mohammad Rasoulof, in contention with “The seeds of the sacred fig”, clandestinely left his country, where he was sentenced last week to a five-year prison sentence.
Harassed for years by the regime, Rasoulof revealed in a video that he had crossed the border.
“I confirm that Mohammad Rasoulof has left Iran and will participate in the Cannes Film Festival,” his lawyer Babk Paknia told AFP.
Coppola’s megalomania
The contest kicks off on Tuesday with a French film by Quentin Dupieux, a celebrated comedy author, and the delivery of a Honorary Palme d’Or for American actress Meryl Streep.
From there, the contest will present a long parade of stars and long-awaited films, both inside and outside of the competition for the Palm.
At 85 years old, Coppola arrives as a candidate for his third award at Cannes, with “Megalópolis”, a film about a dreamy and ambitious architect (Adam Drive), a symbol of his own excess when making films: a budget of at least 120 million dollars, for which he had to pawn part of his properties.
Other names from that generation of filmmakers, known as New Hollywood, are Paul Schrader, who triumphed with “American Gigolo” and who returns to Cannes with “Oh, Canada”, again with Richard Gere.
The creator of “Star Wars”, George Lucas will also be honored.
And another filmmaker of his generation, George Miller, the father of “Mad Max”, presents “Furiosa” out of competition, another chapter in the saga, with star Anya Taylor-Joy.
The competition also has more innovative proposals, such as the French Agathe Riedinger, who arrives with her first feature film under her arm: “Diamant Brut”.
Frenchman Jacques Audiard presents a musical comedy set in Mexico, with Selena Gomez in the cast, about a drug kingpin who wants to change his sex.
The only Ibero-American representative in the competition is the Brazilian Karim Ainouz (“Firebrand”), who presents “Motel Destino.”
Cannes will also receive the Olympic flame on May 21, on the way to Paris for the Olympic Games, amidst great security.
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