Will the revolution take place? The Research Commission on “Violence committed in the film, audiovisual, live, fashion and advertising sectors,” made its report this Wednesday, April 9.
Almost 90 proposals are there to try to clean the film, live and fashion programs industry. And to end the practices, revealed by the sometimes overwhelming testimonies of the players in the sector.
“We don’t think it was so systemic”
This commission, constituted by the initiative of actress Judith Godrèche, and chaired by the environmentalist chosen Sandrine Rousseau will have had the merit of a liberating discourse and make certain actors in the film industry conscious, but also for the general public of violence and sexism that reigns there.
“What we discover is that this world is a machine to grind talents,” said deputy Erwan Balaanant, the commission rapporteur this Wednesday at BFMTV.
“We do not think it was so systemic, that it was endemic that it was so anchored in this environment.”
For almost six months, witnesses succeeded, sometimes in the camera, to evoke, through their personal case and experience, the violence they have seen or live. Certain, particularly surprising testimonies, show in any case the difference in treatment and perception, between men and women, especially in filming.
“Ballables and oily reflexes”
“He had not taken the complete measure of what women face in the personal or professional world,” said the producer of Three musketeersDimitri Rassam, March 13, 2025.
“Unfortunately, for many men, and I don’t know if it is a denial, obviously there was a disconnection between what women experienced and what we perceive.”
In their image, several professionals in the sectors, who work in the community for decades, have reported their disconnection.
“I heard things: the makeup artists told me about actors with walked hands and fatty and stupid reflections, it is quite common,” said Gilles Lellouche, during a round table on March 10, while Jean-Paul Rouve, actor for more than 25 years, insured, “I had never seen anything in a set.”
“In the order of things”
“It’s not mentor when we say we haven’t seen anything or heard,” the actor insisted. “Women, in general, do not talk about the gestures and displaced looks that are constantly experiencing, in the street and in other places (…) My actress friends do not speak to me because, unfortunately, they consider that it is in the order of things.”
If this introspection could lead to some questions: “I think it could be heavy in my way of meaning things,” said actor Pio Marmaï, some have refused to question their practices.
The agent of the stars Dominique Besnehard, himself, accused the actresses, ensuring: “He still saw the actresses a little overcoming the limits.” “We are not going to a hotel with a director. Weinstein, who went to Cannes, some actresses went to his room to make an American race. I saw him,” he said.
“Impressive and quite scary”
What these hearings also revealed, Erwan explained on Wednesday that he swings in BFMTV, is that beyond some emblematic cases, such as that of Judith Godrèche, who began this investigation commission, or of the few actresses who spoke, such as Adèle Haenel or before, Maria Schneider, this violence affects everyone, at all levels.
“What appeared is that beyond the cases of stars, there were technicians, technicians, young actors, who suffered violence throughout their careers,” said Erwan Balaanant.
Judith Godrèche described the observation as “impressive and quite terrifying.” “But I am not surprised because I didn’t expect better,” he said in Franceinfo this Wednesday.
In addition to his testimony, we could hear those, particularly surprising, actresses Anna Mouglalis, Nina Meurisse, Sara Forestier. But also those of Amandine Lach, film critic or Sophie Tissier, management assistant, victims of sexist and sexual violence. But also writers, extras, scripts, operators …
“Institutional Sexism”
All have described sexist comments, celebrating relationships, domination, “institutional sexism” or even “the injustice of financial precariousness.”
“My internship has closed in a ‘So soon is your internship, when you suck me,’ he said, annoyed, Sophie Tisser.
“I was 10 years old when I turned for the first time,” he also delivered to actress Nina Meurisse. In this movie, there is a rape scene. (…) I see a young actor who arrives, who jumps on me, who takes my chest and tries to lift the dress. We will make the scene several times. I’m ten years old, I’ve never kissed a child, I’m paralyzed. “
“I was surprised,” said Anna Mouglalis, telling her shot experiences. “It was also very predictable, since the actor and the rest of the team, man, had been Breakfast Alcoholics. As the actor did to me well, the director said:” We continue to turn! “
For Erwan Balaanant, he reigns in the cinema “the ‘cult of talent’, which makes talent allow everything. Talent would allow the director to treat how he wants his actors.” This is what arises in any case of these testimonies.
“I started my career saying ‘No’, he dropped actress Sara Forestier, who began her career at the age of 13.” When they asked me to take away my panties and turn them in the air to land on the dish of another character, in a so -called comic scene of a short film. (…) I said no and left. “
“To listen to you, we have the impression of seeing these drawings that explain the food chain,” said Erwan Balaanant during an audience, adding: “I hope it is the painting of an era partially ten times.”
The proposals of this investigation commission point in any case to stop this systemic violence, as written by Deputy Sandrine Rousseau in this report.
Source: BFM TV
