On the eve of the opening of the Cannes Film Festival, around a hundred people gathered Monday morning in front of the CNC buildings to demand the departure of the president of the institution. Fanny de Casimaker, general delegate of the Collective 50/50 which fights for equality and parity in the cinema industry, explained to AFP that it is a question of “requesting the withdrawal of Dominique Boutonnat from the presidency of the CNC. The person concerned, reappointed in mid-2022 as president of the organization, is implicated in a case of sexual assault on his godson. His trial is scheduled for June 14 in Nanterre.
An untenable situation for the hundred people who mobilized in the morning, according to Fanny de Casimaker. “Today we are witnessing a mobilization of the entire industry to address the issue of preventing and combating gender-based and sexual violence. There is also a commission of inquiry voted in the [national] Assembly to support and see how to improve our practices. So it is completely inconsistent that, in this dynamic, at the presidency of the CNC there is still a person who is accused of sexual assault,” she explains.
The general secretary of the CNC, Leslie Thomas, estimated that “200 professionals” had gathered on Boulevard Raspail, in the 14th arrondissement of the capital. “A delegation of 15 people was received by the general management. […] It was explained to [him] that Mr. Boutonnat’s trial will take place on June 14. We are part of a logic where justice must do its job. The CNC does not have to position itself,” she explained to several journalists.
On social media, videos show protesters carrying a banner reading “Separate the man from the CNC.” They also held up signs reading “Our silence settles, our anger disturbs” or “End clap on the attackers”.
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On Sunday, artists and technicians who are members of the CGT-Spectacle and associations, including the 50/50 collective, launched a petition demanding the “withdrawal of Dominique Boutonnat from the CNC. » As of noon today, the initiative had 1,500 signatures. According to its authors, “if Dominique Boutonnat benefits from the presumption of innocence, it seems to us […] essential that our main institution sets an example. »
The CNC was keen to respond to this mobilization: “Since 2020, 6,000 cinema professionals (producers, directors, broadcasters, exhibitors, etc.) have followed training on the prevention of gender-based and sexual violence on set. » A commitment supported and defended by Ms. Thomas, who indicated to AFP that “this training is compulsory for 100% of French initiative films in 2024. It will condition production aid from the CNC from July 1. »