PARIS (AP) 鈥 For powerful men in France鈥檚 film industry, this was a week of reckoning. G茅rard Depardieu 鈥 the country鈥檚 most famous male actor 鈥 was convicted of sexual assault. Two days later, the Cannes Film Festival barred another actor accused of rape from walking the red carpet.
Together, the decisions sent a message that France had long resisted: that artistic brilliance may no longer shield those who abuse their power.
For decades, Depardieu was revered as French cinema鈥檚 鈥渟acred monster鈥 鈥 a towering talent whose gluttony, volatility and magnetism became part of his myth. With more than 250 films to his name, many believed he would remain untouchable even after more than 20 women accused him of .
Now, that myth has cracked.
The verdict has revived a broader question France has ducked since the dawn of the #MeToo movement: Can a country that celebrates seduction and irreverence ?
France has long lived its own #MeToo contradiction. That talent, charm, or intellect forgives misconduct. That the art excuses the artist. This is the land that gave the world Brigitte Bardot鈥檚 pout and Catherine Deneuve鈥檚 poise 鈥 and then watched both recoil when the movement came knocking. , while Bardot has dismissed feminism outright: 鈥淚 like men.鈥
But the ground is shifting 鈥 fast.
Cannes鈥 seismic shift
Depardieu was handed an 18-month suspended sentence Tuesday for groping two women on a 2021 film set. He denies the charges and is appealing.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the end of impunity of artists with a capital A,鈥 Carine Durrieu Diebolt, a lawyer for one of the two women who won their case against Depardieu, told The Associated Press. The verdict represented 鈥渁 bookend for putting actors on a pedestal because they were talented,鈥 she added.
Two days later, the prestigious Cannes Film Festival barred 鈥 accused of rape by three former partners 鈥 from attending the premiere of a film he stars in, even though the file was dropped for lack of evidence. The women are launching a civil complaint.
Navarro-Mussy denies wrongdoing. His lawyer said that she鈥檚 unaware of any ongoing proceedings against him.
What stunned wasn鈥檛 just the decision, but who made it. Cannes director Thierry Fr茅maux had long been seen as emblematic of the old guard. He defended Roman Polanski for years and continued to screen his films despite the director鈥檚 1977 guilty plea in the U.S. for sex with a 13-year-old. In 2018, when asked why Cannes still included Polanski, Fr茅maux said: 鈥淭hese are complicated matters.鈥
Fr茅maux opened 2023’s festival with a film starring , despite the actor鈥檚 highly public legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard over allegations of domestic abuse, in which he was never criminally charged. When asked about the backlash, Fr茅maux replied: 鈥淚 only have one rule: it鈥檚 the freedom of thinking, and the freedom of speech and acting within a legal framework.鈥
This week, the rules changed.
鈥淭he Cannes decision is of course linked to the Depardieu verdict,鈥 said C茅line Piques of Osez le f茅minisme (鈥淒are Feminism!鈥), a group that campaigns against sexual violence. 鈥(They鈥檝e) realized which way the wind is blowing. Fr茅maux is trying to right the wrongs.鈥
Resistance remains
Not everyone welcomed the verdict 鈥 or what followed 鈥 as a cultural turning point.
Fanny Ardant, one of French cinema鈥檚 grandes dames and a longtime friend of Depardieu, . She is now directing him in a film in Portugal, despite the conviction.
鈥淔anny Ardant? She completely missed the point,鈥 said Piques. 鈥淪he downplayed the violence, normalized it. That鈥檚 rape culture, plain and simple.鈥
Juliette Binoche, Cannes jury president and one of France鈥檚 most respected actors, struck a note of restraint: 鈥淗e鈥檚 not a monster. He鈥檚 a man 鈥 one who has, apparently, been desacralized.鈥
A justice system slowly opening
In 2024, more than 22,000 rapes were reported in France. Fewer than 3% led to convictions. 鈥淭he Depardieu verdict shows there鈥檚 progress,鈥 said lawyer Anne-Sophie Laguens, who works with victims of sexual assault. 鈥淏ut for most women, the barriers to justice remain enormous.鈥
When Bertrand Cantat 鈥 front man of Noir D茅sir and once one of France鈥檚 bestselling rock singers 鈥 launched a 2018 comeback tour, he had served just four years in prison for killing his partner, actor Marie Trintignant, during a violent assault.
Despite public outrage, he returned to the stage and performed.
鈥淭hat would be unthinkable today,鈥 said Piques. 鈥淭he public mood has changed. What we tolerate has changed.鈥
The shift in shame
One breakthrough came not from a film set, but a courtroom in Avignon. The 鈥 who chose to waive her anonymity and insisted on a public trial, turning private horror into public reckoning 鈥 marked a turning point. For years, shame was hers. Now, it belongs to the perpetrators.
鈥淚t proved rapists aren鈥檛 just strangers in alleys,鈥 said Piques. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e husbands. Colleagues. Respected men.鈥
That shift in shame is now rippling through the cultural world 鈥 once seen as a bastion of male privilege. Recently, director Christophe Ruggia was convicted of abusing actor Ad猫le Haenel when she was a minor, though he is appealing; and actor-director Nicolas Bedos, was sentenced for sexual assault.
So did #MeToo win?
Slowly but surely, yes. The system that long protected men like Depardieu is not yet dismantled, but it is shifting.
As one of the actor鈥檚 accusers said through tears after the ruling: 鈥淚鈥檓 very, very much satisfied with the decision. That鈥檚 a victory for me, really. And a big progress, a step forward. I feel justice was made.鈥
