The actress Judith Godrèche, who has spoken out extensively against sexual violence in the media, has recently taken a central role in this fight. Her autobiographical novel published in 1995, Point de côté, which depicts a toxic relationship between a teenager and an older man, is being reissued electronically by Flammarion. This initiative comes after her complaint against two renowned directors, Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon, for assaults she claims to have suffered in her youth.
During the César Awards ceremony, Godrèche called out the film industry for its silence on the “illicit trafficking of young girls,” highlighting a lack of response, in her opinion, to these denunciations. Her testimony before the Senate’s women’s rights delegation shed light on the omertà surrounding sexual violence, calling for collective action to put an end to it.
She proposes the creation of an investigative commission on sexual violence in cinema and insists on the establishment of neutral referents to protect minors on sets. Godrèche also criticizes the reappointment of Dominique Boutonnat as head of the CNC despite his indictment for sexual assault.
Following her actions, Judith Godrèche already embodies for some people, famous or not, the courage to break the silence and fight for a film industry and a society free from abuses of power and sexual violence.