Latest news with #GérardDepardieu
The Guardian
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Gérard Depardieu faces Rome trial after alleged incident with paparazzo
Gérard Depardieu is facing a trial in Rome after allegedly punching a legendary paparazzo outside a bar in the Italian capital. The French actor, who earlier this month was found guilty by a Paris court of sexually assaulting two women during a film shoot in 2021, is charged with causing personal injury to Italian photographer Rino Barillari. The case is due to begin at the court of Rome on 17 June. Depardieu, 76, is accused of punching Barillari, known in Italy as 'the king of paparazzi' for his tenacity in capturing up-close shots of celebrities, outside Harry's Bar on Via Veneto, in May last year. Barillari, 80, went to the bar, a famous stomping ground for the glitterati and the photographers who trailed them during the 1960s dolce vita period, after receiving a tip-off that Depardieu was dining there. In an interview after the alleged incident, Barillari said Depardieu, who was eating outside Harry's Bar with a friend, Magda Vavrusova, became frustrated after he saw the paparazzo taking pictures of them. Barillari claimed that Vavrusova came towards him, followed by Depardieu, who allegedly punched the photographer three times, causing him to fall to the ground. Barillari was taken to hospital and treated for a wound close to his left eye. Barillari also alleged that Depardieu showed him the middle finger, threw an ice cube towards him and shouted an insult about Italians. Depardieu denied the claims, later telling La Repubblica that Barillari had pushed him. At the time, Delphine Meillet, a lawyer for Vavrusova, said her client had been 'violently pushed' by Barillari and that Depardieu 'fell and slid' on to the paparazzo after intervening. Meillet and Jérémie Assous, a lawyer for Depardieu, have been contacted for comment. In a career spanning more than six decades, Barillari has masqueraded as priests, gardeners and bricklayers in his quest to capture photos of the rich and famous, including Princess Margaret, Jackie Kennedy, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra. But he is also well-known for getting into altercations with his targets. 'I can forgive his punches, but not the insult against Italians,' Barillari told the Italian news agency, Adnkronos, on Tuesday.
Irish Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
After Gerard Depardieu and Gisèle Pelicot, is France ready to address sexual violence?
The backlash was immediate. Within seconds of her coronation as Miss France in late 2023, Eve Gilles was being hit by a tsunami of online hate. The death threats would come later. The online mob were appalled by the 20-year-old's slight physique and, especially, her cropped pixie haircut. For the first time in more than a century, the Miss France tiara had been placed upon the head of a contestant with short hair. 'Next year they'll pick a bald man,' moaned an outraged armchair warrior. French model Eve Gilles, who was pilloried for her short hair Gilles, a 20-year-old student, became an unlikely focal point for the country's raging culture wars. On one side, her win was sneeringly cast as a 'victory for diversity'; on the other she was held up as a rather unlikely icon of the #MeToo era, with her supporters suggesting that her win signalled that France was finally ready to embrace a movement that had hitherto struggled to gain momentum. The furore around Gilles was proof, if any were needed, that France still has work to do on gender equality. Relatively few high-profile cases of sexual misconduct have been prosecuted since the #MeToo movement arrived in France in 2017, despite the growing number of victims who have come forward with testimony of abuse. Activists are hoping that could finally be about to change, following the conviction last week of the formerly revered actor, Gérard Depardieu , for sexually assaulting two women. His trial was viewed as an important test of how French society and the film industry were addressing allegations of sexual violence. Lawyers for his victims believe that a wider reckoning is under way. READ MORE 'I'm optimistic by nature,' says Carine Durrieu Diebolt, who represented the 54-year-old set dresser who was targeted by Depardieu. 'This was a historic verdict. It shows that mentalities are slowly changing, that artists are no longer treated with impunity.' [ Gisèle Pelicot 'led this fight' for her grandchildren, as ex-husband sentenced to 20 years in mass rape trial Opens in new window ] But that optimism is not universally shared. Yéléna Mandengué, a lawyer and member of the #NousToutes feminist organisation, points out that Depardieu was not in court for the verdict as he's currently shooting another film in Portugal. 'In places like the US, an actor accused of such serious crimes, never mind one who has actually been convicted, would be cancelled. The rich and famous are treated differently here. We call it the French exception. It comes down to our elitist perception of the arts. We don't want our reputation to be tarnished internationally by these allegations, so perpetrators are protected' Gisèle Pelicot, whose husband was convicted of raping her while she was drugged and unconscious, and inviting dozens of men to the family home to abuse her. Photograph: Clement Mahoudeau/AFP via Getty Images The Depardieu sentencing came just months after France was horrified and traumatised by the trial of Dominique Pelicot, the retired electrician who was convicted of raping his former wife while she was drugged and unconscious, and inviting dozens of men to the family home to abuse her. Gisèle Pelicot 's ordeal highlighted shortcomings in French law, most notably the lack of explicit consent in the legal definition of rape, prompting calls for urgent reform. Last month, the lower house of parliament responded by passing legislation expanding the definition of rape to include non-consensual sex. The bill has yet to be debated by the senate, before being returned to the lower house for a final vote. While think tanks such as the London-based Bloomsbury Intelligence and Security Institute argue that the Pelicot case has had a profound impact on public understanding of sexual violence and domestic abuse, Mandengué believes that legal reforms can only go so far, and fail to address deeply entrenched cultural perceptions. She says attitudes will not truly evolve unless there is a wider political will to bring about change. 'The government only discusses sexual violence when it serves its political agenda,' she says. 'Look at our prime minister. In any other country, he would be forced to resign. Instead, he's defended by the president.' An embattled François Bayrou has been at the centre of a widening controversy over decades-long allegations of sexual and physical abuse at a school in his home region in southwestern France. The former education minister denied having covered up the abuse when he appeared before a parliamentary inquiry on Wednesday, claiming that he had only been made aware of the allegations through the media. Bayrou's wife had worked at Notre-Dame de Bétharram and several of his children were educated there. One of his daughters now says she was beaten by a priest with links to the school. A survey published just last week found that 70 per cent of women said they had personally experienced sexism in the workplace A separate parliamentary report, published in April after a five-month inquiry, also makes for grim reading. It found that abuse was 'systemic, endemic and persistent' across the French entertainment industry, adding that attitudes were 'barely evolving' with women and children still being 'routinely preyed on'. Sandrine Rousseau, the Green Party MP who led the commission, says the Depardieu conviction is nevertheless an important milestone that illustrates that 'nobody is above the law'. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many women might disagree. A survey published just last week found that 70 per cent of women said they had personally experienced sexism in the workplace, with nearly a third of respondents saying they'd subsequently changed how they dressed as an avoidance strategy, or limited time spent alone with certain colleagues. Another woman who decided to alter how she dressed, or at least how she presented herself to her hundreds of millions of social media followers, took the stand in a Paris courtroom on Tuesday. Hours before Kim Kardashian gave emotional testimony about being held at gunpoint by a gang who stole millions of euro worth of her belongings, a judge asked her stylist if the reality TV star had put herself in danger by publishing images of herself online. Absolutely not, said Simone Harouche. 'Just because a woman wears jewellery, that doesn't make her a target. That's like saying that because a woman wears a short skirt, she deserves to be raped.' As for Miss France 2024, she says she still dreams of one day representing her country at Miss Universe despite the death threats, and the fact that she's once again being pilloried by online haters, this time for dating an older man.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NEWS OF THE WEEK: Gérard Depardieu Found Guilty in Sexual Assault Trial, Receives Suspended Sentence
Gérard Depardieu has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021 and has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, which will be suspended. The victims, Amélie, a set designer, and Sarah, an assistant director, accused Depardieu of groping them during the filming of Les Volets Verts in September 2021. The court found their testimonies consistent. Depardieu denied the allegations, but the court noted his varying testimonies, which contradicted the consistent evidence provided by both women throughout the trial.
France 24
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Gérard Depardieu: The rise and fall of a French film icon
French film icon, Gérard Depardieu, who once described the #MeToo movement as a "reign of terror," now finds himself added to the national list of sex offenders. This after he was found guilty of sexual assault and given an 18-month suspended sentence. Also as the Trump administration is targeting DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion; what happens when your organisation's sole purpose is to fund Black feminists? Annette Young talks to Tynesha McHarris, a co-founder of the Black Feminist Fund, which supports Black women's rights worldwide. Plus the hotel in Sri Lanka which employs only women and the impact it's also having on the local tourism industry as the South Asian country recovers from an economic crisis.
The Guardian
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Gérard Depardieu's conviction was a historic moment for #MeToo in France
When Gérard Depardieu, one of France's biggest cinema stars, was placed on the sex offender register this week after being found guilty of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021, it was a historic moment for the #MeToo movement in the country. 'It was a message to all men in power that they are answerable to the courts and can be convicted,' said Catherine Le Magueresse, who represented the European Association Against Violence Towards Women at Work (AVFT) at the trial. 'The message is: watch out, the impunity is over.' Depardieu, 76, who has made more than 200 films and TV series, had for years personified one of the key obstacles to the French #MeToo movement: France's cult of the creative genius. Depardieu's acting talent and international fame was seen as so great that he was untouchable. French cinema and politics had been slow – even reluctant – to take abuse claims seriously. 'This is the first time such a strong signal has been given that no one is above the law for violence against women – that message has been lacking until now,' said the Green MP Sandrine Rousseau who co-authored a recent parliamentary report that found sexual violence was 'endemic' in the French entertainment industry. More now needs to be done, she argued. The judge convicted Depardieu of sexually assaulting the two women on the set of the film, Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters), noting that the actor seemed 'not to have understood the notion of consent nor the injurious consequences of his actions'. Depardieu had trapped, grabbed and touched the women, shouting obscenities and calling one a 'snitch' for speaking out. The priority now was to clean up sexism within the legal system itself, feminists said. Depardieu's trial showed that French courts can be brutal for sexual violence survivors. This had been clear at the trial last year of 51 men over the rape of Gisèle Pelicot, who had been drugged unconscious by her husband. Pelicot said she was 'humiliated' by defence lawyers, who asked if the men might have thought she was drunk or pretending to be asleep. Her lawyer, Antoine Camus, criticised how, in French courts, 'there is still discussion of whether you're a 'good' victim'. In the Depardieu trial, the judge went further. Setting a legal precedent, he ruled that Depardieu's defence lawyer, Jérémie Assous, had been so 'excessively harsh' to the two women in court that they must be compensated for 'secondary victimisation'. One woman, Amélie, a set decorator, said her experience of being questioned by Depardieu's defence had been 'hell'. Assous had told the women they were liars and not real victims. He called the women's lawyers hysterical, 'abject and stupid'. Céline Piques of the feminist group Osez Le Féminisme said the ruling on the treatment of the Depardieu complainants in court could be a turning point in France. 'Depardieu's defence was absolutely shocking, with multiple excesses and sexist attacks. When women file a legal complaint they are mistreated at every step, from the investigation to the trial, where they are attacked with sexist archetypes and lawyers try to destabilise them with tactics outside the legal sphere. In Depardieu's trial, there was at least recognition that this is not acceptable.' Depardieu's behaviour was well-known for years, witnesses told the court. Yet the actor had been defended at the highest level of French culture and politics. In 2023, 50 film and cultural figures, including the actor Charlotte Rampling and singer Carla Bruni, signed a petition entitled 'Don't Cancel Gérard Depardieu'. Depardieu's greatest defender was the French president. Emmanuel Macron – elected in 2017 just as the #MeToo movement went global after revelations against the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein – had vowed to combat violence against women and girls. But in 2023, when Depardieu was under formal investigation for rape in another case and also facing scrutiny over sexist comments revealed in a TV documentary, Macron defended him, saying 'he makes France proud'. Asked at the time about stripping Depardieu of a state award, Macron suggested Depardieu was the target of a 'manhunt'. Macron has yet to comment on Depardieu's conviction. Aurore Bergé, the French equality minister, said after the verdict: 'No talent, however great, has the right to immunity.' Depardieu, who denied the charges and will appeal his conviction, was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence. Earlier this year, the film director Christophe Ruggia, who was found guilty of sexually assaulting the actor Adèle Haenel in the early 2000s when she was aged between 12 and 15, was given a four-year sentence with two years suspended and two to be served with an electronic bracelet. Cases in France can be slow to come to court. The Paris prosecutor's office has requested that Depardieu face a further trial for rape and sexual assault in a separate case brought by the actor Charlotte Arnould, but no date has been set. Depardieu has denied those allegations. The French TV presenter and newsreader Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, known as PPDA, has been placed under formal investigation for alleged rape, after many women came forward in what is seen as one of the biggest #MeToo cases in France. But the case is taking a long time. He denies the allegations. Emmanuelle Dancourt, the president of the association MeTooMedia, is among the women who filed complaints against d'Arvor. She attended Depardieu's trial and said there should be a 'complete overhaul' of the French legal system, with specialist courts on sexist and sexual violence. Dancourt said that although show business was important, #MeToo groups in France were joining forces across all sectors and social strata, including industry and lower-income jobs, so action didn't focus only on a '#MeToo of the 1%'. She said women who speak out in France, including Depardieu's two victims, still see an impact on their careers. 'France cannot keep lagging behind culturally and politically on this,' Dancourt said. 'It can't be one step forward, two steps back.'
