French MPs have criticised "endemic" abuse in the entertainment sector after a months-long inquiry into sexual violence that saw stars and other actors reveal instances of bullying and assault. The report puts forward a list of recommendations to better protect workers.
The inquiry, led by Greens MP Sandrine Rousseau, was spurred by allegations from actress Judith Godrèche who accused two French directors of abusing her when she was a teenager in the late 1980s.
In a final damning report, the inquiry accused the entertainment sector of being a "talent grinding machine" and made 86 recommendations to better protect actors and children on set.
These include banning the "sexualisation" of minors on screen and better regulation of auditions and the work of child actors.
"Moral, sexist, and sexual violence in the cultural sector is systemic, endemic, and persistent," read a conclusion from Rousseau, who has overseen six months of hearings that saw testimony from 350 people in the film, theatre and TV sectors.
Cultural exception?
The report questions the prevalent view in France that abusive behaviour by top cultural figures can be excused in the name of art.
"The 'cultural exception', but at what price?" it asks.
"In our country, there's a cult of talent and creative genius," Erwan Balanant, a centrist MP on the commission, told the French news agency AFP.
Some of the strongest testimony came from Godrèche herself. The 53-year-old railed against the "impunity" in the film industry and the "inaction" of its leading lights.
In 2024, she accused directors Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon of sexually assaulting her while she was a teenager. Both deny the allegations.
"There's not a single person from my past with an established role in the cinema world – and therefore, in positions of power ... who has written to me since I spoke out," she said.
Later, she released a short film called Moi Aussi (Me Too) which compiled the testimonies of abuse victims of all ages and backgrounds, some of them male, who find strength and solace in speaking out about their personal trauma.
Collective effort needed
"I was waiting for this report, it is impressive and quite terrifying," Godreche told Franceinfo radio on Wednesday after the report was published.
"It is important now that the political world takes hold of it and that no one can say: we didn't know."
The problem isn't just related to cinema, she points out. "Cinema is a big incestuous family. The power relations and abuses are the same as in the church or schools, and so on. This law is extremely important because it had to fit into this framework."
Godrèche says she wants to see employers obliged by law to report acts of sexist and sexual violence and harassment and that this will support those too afraid to speak out.
Stars of French cinema testify at parliamentary inquiry into sexual harassment
"There must be information, communication," she insists. "The actors, the people who have the most power on a set, must take hold of the distress of those who have the least, everyone must reach out to each other, because the revolution in a place where silence reigns can only be collective."
During the hearings, Rousseau and Balanant said they were struck by a disconcerting number of examples of sexist behavior, "to the point that it would be impossible" to cite them all. These ranged from casual remarks about appearance, touching without consent or inappropriate gestures.
Many of those who testified said they were taken advantage of when they were vulnerable financially, forced to keep silent about abuse if they wanted to keep getting contracts.
No more turning a blind eye
Some of France's biggest stars testified during the parliamentary inquiry including Juliette Binoche, Jean Dujardin and Pierre Niney, but usually behind closed doors and sometimes on condition that their remarks were not made public.
Gilles Lellouche, a widely admired French star who voices Obélix in the Astérix films, recounted an experience involving a woman director who he claims tried to seduce him.
French bill seeks to close consent loopholes in sexual assault law
"I didn't feel violently attacked – it was things like hands under my shirt. If I had done the same to a woman, it wouldn't have been okay," he said.
In conclusion the report authors warn: "Turning a blind eye is tantamount to complicity."
Based on the work of the commission of inquiry, a bill will be drafted in the coming months, before being submitted to a vote by the deputies.
(with newswires)
