'Great time for French cinema industry': Prioritising a safe working place, free of sexual assault

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00:00To take a closer look at it all, we're joined now on a set by French film producer

00:03Lausine Grimiche, producer and part of the collective 50-50, which looks for equality

00:07in filmmaking. Thanks so much for coming in and bringing us your time.

00:11Of course, we've invited you because today is the day that Gérald Darpardieu is expected in court,

00:15the first trial after decades of accusations. I mean, how do you see that?

00:19It's a crucial moment for the plaintiff and I have to salute their courage to bring their

00:30Gérald Darpardieu in front of the trial. It's a crucial moment because Gérald Darpardieu is

00:38like a living legend for French cinema. But before being a great actor, he is.

00:46We have to mention that he's just a man facing justice and facing justice for his

00:53behaviours and his act in a set. It does seem to have taken quite a

00:58long time to get to this place. I mean, we've had accusations against him for decades and

01:02we've had very high profile French people coming out to defend Gérald Darpardieu over the years.

01:06Yeah, we need changes and, you know, he's a great actor. But he also did assault to women

01:18in sets and outside of movie sets. And he brought people to the cinema, people paid the tickets

01:28for him. So he's bankable and we don't want to turn our back to a bankable guy.

01:38Ah, you think that's why people support him and protect him,

01:41is because he brings the money?

01:42In the industry, yeah, of course.

01:44But do you think that with a trial like today's trial, do you see things as changing?

01:48I mean, we had another trial, maybe not as well known as Gérald Darpardieu,

01:52but there was a French director convicted just last month or in February

01:56for sexual abuse of an actress.

01:58Yeah, yeah. I think it's changing. We are facing a real great moment for the French cinema and

02:08French industry. Silence has been often chosen over justice in this industry, because it's easier

02:18to just watching on the other side when something is happening on the sets.

02:29It's easier to look away. And who is bringing about this change? It's the women, it's the actors,

02:34isn't it?

02:34Yeah, yeah, of course. And it's also the industry itself, like bringing the...

02:44Tell me in French.

02:45Yeah, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. The trainings, because, you know, yeah,

02:49there's trainings in the French industry. It's mandatory since the first January of this year,

02:552025, for everybody working in the set.

02:58Everybody?

02:59Yeah.

03:00All the actors?

03:01Actors and technicians.

03:02And the production team.

03:03Everybody. In 2020, it was mandatory for producers. If you want money from the CNC...

03:08The state, yeah.

03:09Yeah, you need to, you have to do this training on sexual harassment.

03:15Understanding what it is and how to...

03:17Yeah, exactly. And we have anti-harassment officers in the sets now. If you are a witness

03:26of something, if something happened to you, you go to this officer and you can talk with him

03:33They are not the solutions. And their role is not to resolve the problems,

03:39but it's the first step to open the...

03:43Discussion.

03:43Discussion, yeah, exactly.

03:44And is that a neutral person? I mean, who's that person employed by?

03:47They are mostly volunteers.

03:49Okay.

03:49They are working on the set and they are volunteers to be anti-harassment officers.

03:55Because sometimes it can be hard to go to a colleague and we all know how,

03:58you know, relationships develop. It's not always easy.

04:01And there's also a talk before the beginning of the shooting.

04:07And it's mainly the producers who speak about what are the measures.

04:15So that's your job then?

04:16Exactly, exactly. We have to remember and to remind people that a set is a working place.

04:25And as all working places, you should be safe. It should be a safe place.

04:30So it's our role as producers to make it safe.

04:36Of course, a lot of abuse as well happens in these meetings,

04:39talking about making a film and people, as you say,

04:41especially when somebody like maybe Gérald Depardieu has such a high profile,

04:44they feel that they will be cast aside if they say anything.

04:48I mean, has there been a history of that?

04:50Yeah, most of women who had the choice to speak out,

04:58they did it in the cost of their careers.

05:04Yeah, it's a high price to pay.

05:05I'm thinking of one very strong woman, Adele Haenel, the actor.

05:07Yeah, Adele Haenel.

05:09She stood up and walked out of a French awards ceremony.

05:12France was still awarding Roman Polanski,

05:14who has been convicted in the US of unlawful sex.

05:17So is France very different then from other countries

05:19when it comes to what they feel is acceptable?

05:23I don't think so.

05:24But we have this idea coming from the Nouvelle Vague in the 60s,

05:31where the director is like a living god on the set.

05:35He's powered with the creative energy.

05:38So we have to shut up when he's here

05:40and just bow and respect everything he's doing.

05:45And it's not true.

05:46He's just like a technician.

05:49He's paid by the producing company to do the movie.

05:52Even if he's got this creative aura,

05:58we have to just finish with that.

06:01And you do think this is starting to change now?

06:03Because there's been quite a lot of cases in France at the moment.

06:06Do you think that the can has opened, if you like,

06:08or the door has opened and that people feel freer to speak?

06:11Yeah, yeah.

06:12And I think it's also with the new generations.

06:16They're braver?

06:17Yeah.

06:18Or just that things have changed?

06:19No, no.

06:19They are bringing the changes.

06:21Okay.

06:23They are aware at least of what is wrong,

06:24what is not acceptable, perhaps.

06:26Exactly, exactly.

06:26More than...

06:27Because, you know, it's again that those letters of support

06:30from so many people, including actors in France,

06:32has shocked a lot of people around the world.

06:34I mean, are there still people in the industry

06:38that think the Me Too, as they call it, has gone too far?

06:40There does seem to be a bit of a pushback.

06:42Yeah, we had a book about that lately by Caroline Fourest,

06:47Le Vertige Me Too.

06:48And I think it's just a mistake to think like that.

06:52When you see the statistics of sexual assault or rape in France,

07:00it's really frightening.

07:03We have 30,000 complaints of rape just in 2023.

07:1190,000 in total, including sexual assault.

07:16And 70% of that, of complaints, did not lead to a trial.

07:22Yeah, they're brushed aside when people are told

07:24there's not enough proof.

07:26Yeah, exactly.

07:27There's a lack of evidence.

07:27So what happens currently on set if somebody comes with a complaint?

07:31What happens then once they've told this person on the set?

07:33Oh, yeah, we can stop the shooting.

07:37It's very expensive, but we have insurances to do that.

07:40We can stop for three days.

07:41But will people?

07:43Sorry?

07:43Will producers make that call or directors?

07:46Yeah.

07:47It's happening?

07:48It's happening.

07:50It happened on the set of Caroline Beaumarchand.

07:55She's a French producer with a movie that will be released this week.

08:01And the producer have to...

08:03And it's a very complicated position for producers

08:06because we are running a movie and we have to do an investigation.

08:13But we are not the right person to do that.

08:17And there is also money problems.

08:20But who pays for that and where you're stopping a set?

08:25What happened during these days?

08:26OK.

08:27Sadly, we'll have to leave it there.

08:28But there's a lot more to discuss on how we could eke out that solution.

08:31But I'm glad to think it has begun.

08:34Now, Signe Grimmich, thanks so much for giving us your time on France 24.

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