Chairman of the French Film Federation found guilty of sexual assault

Dominique Boutonnat

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Dominique Boutonnat, the president of the French film association CNC, was found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced to three years in prison, two of which were suspended.

Boutonnat resigned from the CNC following Friday’s verdict and will be replaced by Olivier Henrard. Boutonnat is not expected to serve a prison sentence, but will live under house arrest with an electronic ankle bracelet for a year, French media reported. Boutonnat denied the allegations and has appealed the verdict.

Boutonnat was charged in 2021 with sexually abusing his then 19-year-old godson in August 2020 while on holiday in Greece. Despite the allegations, Boutonnat, who has close ties to French President Emmanuel Macron, was reappointed to head the national film authority in 2022 and served most of his second term, which was set to end next year. Under his leadership, the film authority launched several new initiatives to combat sexual harassment and sexual violence in the industry.

In response to the ruling, the CNC issued a statement saying that the allegations against Boutonnat “concern privacy and have nothing to do with the activities of the CNC, whose functioning was not affected by the conduct of the judicial proceedings.”

The verdict in the Boutonnat case is being hailed by many in the French film industry as a #MeToo reckoning. In the run-up to this year’s Cannes Film Festival, a petition calling for his impeachment was supported by several industry groups, including the CGT Spectacle union and the activist organisations Collectif 50/50 and MeTooMédia.

Another prominent figure in French film will soon experience her own #MeToo moment. Green card And Cyrano de Bergerac Star Gérard Depardieu will stand trial in October for sexual assault. Two women accused the actor of attacking them on the set of the film. The green shuttersDepardieu denies the allegations.