Jodie Foster shared her perspective on the recent liberation of speech surrounding sexual violence in France. In an interview on France Inter, the actress expressed her views on how women are positioning themselves today in the face of assaults.
The Depardieu case, which saw the actor implicated by several women for rape and sexual assault, is largely the origin of these remarks. For Foster, this awakening was inevitable to change the culture of silence that has long prevailed in Western and particularly French cinema.
The rape complaint recently filed by Judith Godrèche against directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon was also mentioned. Foster speaks of a climate of change where victims feel encouraged to demand justice, compared to her childhood where "women felt they could not say no".
Let’s also highlight the remarks of Valérie Hurier, editor-in-chief of Télérama, who assessed how the film system, supported by the media, has ignored and sometimes supported these predatory behaviors. Six years after the start of the #MeToo movement, which continues to gain momentum, she called for a change in mentality so that the industry is no longer a place of exploitation.
More than six years after the #MeToo movement, French cinema is finally beginning to confront its own demons. The recent scandals and the courageous statements of victims show that there is still much to be done to eradicate sexual violence.
