Anyone under investigation for charges of sexual assault will be prohibited from attending the Cesar Awards presentation next month, France’s equivalent of the Oscars, said a statement on Monday.
The newest #MeToo controversy involving newbie Sofiane Bennacer, who is under investigation by police for two allegations of rape and one of assault against a girlfriend, raised concerns that there would be protests during the event on February 25.
Bennacer, 25, who denies any wrongdoing, had been predicted to win an award for his performance in ‘Les Amandiers,’ which is also known as ‘Forever Young’ outside of France and is about a group of sexually promiscuous drama students in the 1980s.
It also follows protests at the 2020 ceremony when Roman Polanski, convicted of raping a child in the 1970s, won best director, which triggered a major reorganisation of the Cesar Academy.
In a statement, the Academy said anyone facing a potential prison sentence for ‘violence, notably of a sexual or sexist nature’ would be excluded from the coming ceremony.
‘It has been decided not to highlight people who may have been put in question by the judiciary for acts of violence,’ it said, adding that the step was being taken ‘out of respect for the victims,’ even if they were only ‘presumed’ victims.
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