Credits: Georges Biard / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0.
Judith Godrèche, French actress and filmmaker, has taken a decisive step by explicitly naming filmmaker Benoît Jacquot on her Instagram account. She refers to a relationship they had when she was a minor. Godrèche had already hinted at this relationship in her series Icon of French Cinema, which recently aired on Arte, without naming the director.
In an Instagram story posted on January 6, the actress denounces the "hold" Jacquot had over her when she was 14 and he was 40. This public statement follows watching a 2011 documentary in which Jacquot answers questions from psychoanalyst Gérard Miller. In it, Jacquot acknowledges the relationship with Godrèche, but describes it differently, claiming she was 15 and seemed to be consenting.
Through her messages, Godrèche indicates that she is considering speaking out more on the subject, despite fears of professional repercussions. She emphasizes her determination to speak out for "our daughters, our little sisters" and mentions threats of legal action for defamation from Jacquot, now 76.
The actress also urges her followers to share her message widely, to give her testimony more visibility. Does Godrèche’s move fit into a broader wave of denunciations of sexist and sexual violence in the film industry? Justice will decide…