French Film Academy Sets New Leadership After Early 2020 Membership Backlash & César Awards Controversy
Following a backlash within its membership ranks and the resignation of its board of directors and president earlier this year, France’s Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma has set new leadership. At a general assembly today, the Académie, which hands out the country’s César Awards, elected former CNC and Arte chief Veronique Cayla as president and Intouchables co-director and filmmaker Eric Toledano as vice president. They will hold their positions for a two-year term.
The duo replaces Margaret Menegoz who was interim president following Alain Terzian’s departure in February. Terzian left amid rising controversy in the wake of this year’s César nominations which gave Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy the lead at 12. The film ultimately won three prizes at the protested ceremony.
Prior to the awards, the film org was called out as “elitist and closed” by some 200 artists who said they had “no voice” in how the organization operates. They called for “an in-depth overhaul” of the modes of governance of the Association for the Promotion of Cinema which manages the Académie “and of the democratic operations that govern them.” At the time, the organization said it was undertaking measures to “modernize” the Césars and making efforts to balance the voting body which was then 65% male.
Cayla and Toledano thanked members today, saying they are “committed to inventing, with each of them, a new model for the Césars, one which is collective, imaginative, modern, imbued with cinema but also adapted to current sanitary constraints.” They also expressed their intent to continue work begun by Menegoz “by rigorously meeting the expectations of parity, transparency diversity and democracy.”
Cayla said the pair will be proposing the construction of “a solid foundation of equality between all members… legitimized by an elective process.”
The Académie further today elected 42 representatives who will, along with Cayla and Toledano, make up the new board (see below).
Marina Fois, Antoine Reinartz – Acting
Pascale Ferran, Cédric Klapisch – Directing
Olivier Gorce, Julier Peyr – Writing
Gréco Casadesus, Marie Sabbah – Music
Catherine Boisgontier, Pierre-Yves Gayraud – Costume
Chloé Cambournac, Laurent Tesseyre – Production Design
Bertrand Collard, Sophie Reine – Editing
Yves Cape, Jeanne Lapoirie – Cinematography
Lucien Balibar, Claudine Nougaret – Sound
Chantal Leothier, Christophe Oliveira – Hair & Make-Up
Roxane Fechner, Matthias Weber – Special Effects
Nathalie Chéron, Daniel Delume – Other Technical
Alain Attal, Marie-Ange Luciani – Producing
Sébastien Cauchon, Elisabeth Tanner – Agents & Publicity
Danièla Eltsner, Alexandre Mallet-Guy – Distribution
Christine Beauchemin-Flot, Richard Patry – Theatrical Exhibition
Marc Du Pontavice, Pascale Faure – Animation
Rebecca Houzel, William Jéhannin – Documentary
Justin Pechberty, Pauline Seigland – Short Films
Didier Diaz, Sophie Frilley – Technical Industries
Frédérique Bredin, Vincent Tolédano – Associated Professions
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