Gérard Depardieu found guilty of sexual assault on a film set

Barcelona / CannesOne of the most famous cases The #metoo case in France has just been resolved: a Paris court has found actor Gérard Depardieu guilty of sexually assaulting two women during the filming of the movie The green shutters. The complaints were filed by a set designer and an assistant director for the film. The judge imposed the sentence requested by the prosecution: an 18-month prison sentence, exempt from compliance, and a €20,000 fine. Azores repeatedly denied any inappropriate conduct during the trial, and his lawyer asked for the charges to be dismissed. According to the two complainants, the attacks took place in September 2021 in a Paris apartment where the film was being shot. The complainant said he allegedly groped her ass, pelvis, and breasts. "Come touch my big parasol, I'll stick it up your pussy," she told the court. "I was terrified, he was laughing."

The second complainant claimed that Depardieu hit her both on set and in the street. He only admitted to grabbing the set designer by the hips "so she wouldn't slip" off a stool while they argued about the film. against the sentence and harshly criticized him. "The moment you are accused of sexual assault, you are automatically convicted; there is no longer a trial; the sentence is already decided." When the events for which he is being tried took place, Depardieu was under formal investigation for the accusation of raping a young woman. The trial, but the actor has already accumulated around twenty similar complaints.

The verdict against Depardieu came on the opening day of the Cannes Film Festival, the biggest event in French cinema, which was already shaken last year. for the complaints against the French producer Alain SardeThe day before, its artistic director, Thierry Frémaux, was questioned about the possibility of a conviction and the festival's reaction. Speaking "as a citizen," Frémaux stated that he respected the legal system and would take note of the court's decision. "If the ruling is upheld, what should we do? The festival and the public will have to examine each case individually," said Frémaux, who admitted he was "relieved" to be holding the traditional press conference before the ruling.