More than 123 French actors and actresses have signed an open letter denouncing sexual harassment in the French film industry, calling it “a dysfunctional system that crushes and annihilates”.
On the same day that Cannes welcomed Maïwenn’s Jeanne Du Barry and its star Johnny Depp, and just ahead of the premiere of Catherine Corsini’s Homecoming in competition, the letter targets “the political positions displayed by the Cannes Festival” in particular. “By rolling out the red carpet to men and women who assault, the festival sends the message that in our country we can continue to practice violence with impunity, that violence is acceptable in places of creation.”
The letter was published in French newspaper Libération before the group launched a petition on Change.org that had nearly 700 signatures as of Wednesday (May 17).
Among the signatories are Laure Calamy, Julie Gayet, Jérémie Renier, Clotilde Hesme, Ariane Labed, Finnegan Oldfield, 2023 Cesar best actor winner Bastien Bouillon and star of Cannes 2022 film The Night Of The 12th, Swann Arlaud who stars in Justine Triet’s 2023 competition film Anatomy Of A Fall, and Romane Bohringer who stars in Valerie Donzelli’s Just The Two of Us in Cannes Premiere.
The letter points out Cannes is a microcosm of a more serious problem within France and the global film industry, adding that “obviously, the place that is offered to people who abuse, harass, violate, on the red carpet of this festival, does not come from nowhere. It is symptomatic of a global system that has been in place for generations.” They called it “a system based on the principles of domination and silencing.”
The letter is also a direct response in support of Adele Haenel who recently said she was quitting the film industry because of its “complacency towards sexual aggressors” and said hers is “a decision that we understand and support.”
The actors said: “When we have the courage to speak out or ask for help, we are too often told, “Please shut up for the sake of the film’. Sometimes producers are even willing to buy our silence. These forms of violence are part of our daily lives, and they have even tried to make us believe that this is part of the job.”
Several supporters of the letter have taken to twitter in protest with the hashtag #CannesYouNot juxtaposed against posters of Jeanne du Barry.
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