French #MeToo film opens Cannes Un Certain Regard

The short film “Moi Aussi” (Me Too) by Judith Godrèche opens the “Un Certain Regard” section in Cannes.

Maneki films

Last year, the Cannes Film Festival shrugged off protests from women's rights groups and opened with Maïwenn's Jeanne du Barrya historical film with the alleged perpetrator Johnny Depp as the King of France.

A year and a mini #MeToo revolution later, Cannes has made a decision Hi Aussi (Me too), a short film by French actress and activist and filmmaker Judith Godrèche, to kick off the sidebar “Un Certain Regard.”

Best known in the USA for the Oscar-nominated film mockery (1996) and The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), Godrèche became a key figure in the French #MeToo movement after she accused renowned directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon of sexually abusing her as a teenager. Both men denied the claims.

The allegations and Godrèche's reputation as one of France's best-known actresses and a popular former child star helped bring #MeToo back into the spotlight in France. Her numerous public appearances — she took the stage at the Césars, France's equivalent of the Oscars, in February to call the French film industry an “incestuous family” and addressed the French Parliament and Senate on the issue — have pressure exerted on the film industry French industry must change. As a result, lawmakers agreed last week to launch a state investigation into sexual and gender-based violence in the country's film, audiovisual media, performing arts, advertising and fashion sectors.

Godrèche's film features victims of sexual abuse who contacted the actress after she spoke out and posted her Instagram, calling on others to share their stories. About 6,000 people responded.

“Suddenly there was a lot of victims in front of me, a reality that France also represented, so many stories from all social classes and generations,” Godrèche said. “Then the question was, what would I do with them? What do you do when you’re overwhelmed by what you’re hearing, the sheer volume of testimony?”

Godrèche asked her to gather on a street in Paris for a performance led by her daughter, the actress and dancer Tess Barthélemy. Around 1,000 people came. Godrèche collected audio witnesses from victims reporting their abuse and processed them into a fragmented soundtrack.

Hi Aussi will premiere ahead of Un Certain Regard's opening ceremony and on May 15 at the open-air Cinéma de la Plage, which is free to the public.

The 2024 Cannes Film Festival takes place from May 14th to 25th.