Film executive in Cannes accused of sexual assault during event
French MP and rapporteur of the commission, Erwan Balanant, speaks during the presentation of the final report after a several-month investigation into sexual violence in the entertainment sector, in Paris.--AFP
A vice president of one of the parallel film events at the Cannes Festival was suspended Thursday after being publicly denounced for sexual violence, witnesses and organizers told AFP. During a roundtable discussion about sexual assault organized by France's film board (CNC), a woman stood up and publicly denounced an executive from the ACID Cannes film section.
'The young woman acted with great courage and was immediately taken care of by charities present,' Erwan Balanant, a French MP who was in the room, told AFP. It came as the main Cannes Festival barred a French actor from the premiere Thursday of a film in the running for the Palme d'Or top prize because he has been accused of rape by three former partners. The ACID Cannes event is not part of the official festival, but runs at the same time and has some organizational links. It showcases up-and-coming directors and more experimental cinema.
'Today, during a public roundtable, we heard testimony implicating one of our members, currently vice-president of ACID, in serious acts that could amount to sexual violence,' two other co-presidents of the organization said in a statement to AFP. They said the man had been suspended as a precautionary measure and that 'an internal investigation process has been entrusted to an external body.' The vice president cannot be named for legal reasons. Cannes has been under pressure from MPs and activists to take a tougher line on sexual violence.--AFP
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