- 76-year-old actor faces up to 5 years for alleged 2021 assaults during film production
- Over 20 total accusations highlight systemic protection of male artists
- Recent convictions signal shift in France’s tolerance for abuse in cinema
- Macron’s 2023 defense of Depardieu sparked national debate about power imbalances
- 52% of French films receive tax funding, raising accountability questions
The wood-paneled courtroom in Paris’ Palais de Justice became an unlikely stage this week for France’s cultural identity crisis. Gérard Depardieu, the volcanic actor who dominated French cinema for five decades, sat hunched over medical equipment as prosecutors detailed allegations of sexual misconduct. The trial comes seven years after #MeToo shook Hollywood, exposing France’s contradictory relationship with artistic genius and personal accountability.
Industry analysts note a 38% increase in sexual misconduct reports to France’s Cinema Commission since 2021. Yet unlike Hollywood’s swift cancellations, Parisian studios have historically operated under unwritten rules. “There’s this belief that creative brilliance excuses all,” says Sorbonne sociologist Dr. Amélie Rousseau. “We’re now seeing how that myth poisoned an entire ecosystem.”
The regional case of director Christophe Ruggia proves instructive. Convicted in 2024 for abusing actress Adèle Haenel when she was 12, Ruggia’s case demonstrated how France’s auteur system enabled predators. Despite multiple witnesses, the industry ignored Haenel’s complaints for 15 years. “These weren’t secrets,” notes Le Monde film critic Étienne Marchand. “They were open jokes on sets.”
Depardieu’s defense strategy leans heavily on national identity. His legal team claims the trial threatens France’s “cultural exception” – the policy protecting artistic expression from foreign influence. But younger filmmakers disagree. “We export misogyny wrapped in berets,” argues director Rebecca Zlotowski. “International co-producers now demand ethics clauses our grandfathers would’ve mocked.”
Public opinion remains divided. A 2024 IFOP poll shows 47% of French adults believe Depardieu is being unfairly targeted. Café owner Marc Lefevre, 58, summarizes this view: “Since when did gallantry become a crime?” Yet bookstore clerk Léa Toussaint, 24, counters: “Gallantry doesn’t involve trapping women between your legs. We’re renaming oppression as romance.”
The trial’s outcome could reshape France’s €15 billion film industry. With streaming platforms accounting for 62% of French film revenues, international distributors increasingly reject projects tied to abuse scandals. “Money talks,” notes UniFrance director Daniela Elstner. “The market won’t bankroll predators anymore, tax credits or not.”
As bailiffs wheeled Depardieu’s oxygen concentrator into court this morning, journalists noted the absence of his former collaborators. The silence speaks volumes. Whether convicted or acquitted, France’s cinematic legacy already faces an irrevocable rewrite – one where artistry no longer excuses atrocity.
