France’s César Academy Bars Voting for Members Under Sexual Violence Investigation
The César Academy, which oversees France’s premier film awards, has announced the adoption of an official charter to address how it handles cases involving members accused of violence, particularly of a sexist or sexual nature. The move is part of broader efforts by the organization to prevent and address misconduct within the French film industry.
Under the new charter, members under official investigation for acts of violence will have their voting rights suspended by the Academy Office. If a member is convicted, their voting rights will remain revoked until the sentence has been fully served. This marks an expansion of the Academy’s policies, first introduced in 2023, which banned anyone indicted or convicted of acts of sexual violence from participating in the César awards ceremony, France’s equivalent of the Oscars. Last year, these rules were extended to prevent anyone under investigation for violence from being nominated for the awards.
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The French film industry had been slow to address demands from the #MeToo movement to punish those accused of sexual violence and to make structural changes to protect victims. But things came to a head when Roman Polanski, who remains a fugitive from U.S. justice for the sexual assault of a minor in 1977, won best director at the 2020 Césars for An Officer and a Spy. Polanski’s win (he did not attend the ceremony) prompted multiple walkouts and triggered a backlash against the academy. There have been several high-profile #MeToo cases in the French industry, with multiple charges of assault and misconduct filed against French star Gerard Depardieu and Dominique Boutonnat, the president of the National Film Board (CNC), sentenced to three years for sexual assault of his godson.
In addition to updating its rules, the French Academy will require all its members to commit to the principles outlined in the new charter, staring in March of this year. Members will pledge to work collectively and individually against violence while upholding respect for others, the law, and the collaborative nature of filmmaking.
These changes were announced on Thursday ahead of the 2025 César Award nominations on Jan. 29. The 2025 César Awards ceremony will be held at the Olympia concert hall in Paris on Feb. 28.
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