Cannes, France – He Cannes Film Festival The French actor Théo Navarro-Mussy to attend the premiere of the entry of the competition “Case 137”, in what is believed to be the first at the festival in the #Metoo era.
The director of the festival, Thierry Fremaux, confirmed to the French magazine Télérama that Navarro-Mussy would not be allowed to attend the premiere of the red carpet of the “Case 137” (“Dossier 137” in France) on Thursday night in Cannes. He has a secondary role in the movie.
Télérama reported that Navarro-Mussy was accused of rape by three former partners in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The case was removed last month due to the lack of evidence, but Télérama reported that the plan of three women to appeal.
“It is because there is an appeal and, therefore, the investigation is still active, that the case is not suspended,” Fremaux told the French magazine. “When a legal decision becomes definitive, the situation changes.”
The representatives of Navarro-Mussy did not immediately respond to the requests for comments. Representatives of the Cannes Film Festival refer to Fremaux’s comments to Télérama.
Navarro-Mussy’s lawyer, Marion Pouzet-Gagliardi, told Télérama: “I have not received information that indicates that any procedure is ongoing. This complaint proposed before the state of the civil party, which I know, has not been legally presented.”
The decision marks a change for the Cannes Film Festival, which has Sometimes it has been criticized for welcoming men accused of inappropriate sexual behavior. But some say now that the festival is evolving as the #MeToo movement has made late incursions into the French film industry.
Cannes this year He opened hours after the French actor Gerard Depardieu was declared guilty of sexual harassment and handed him a suspended prison sentence of 18 months. When asked about the Depardieu verdict, Juliette Binoche, president of the Cannes Jury, said that “the festival is following this trend in social and political life.”
“The festival is in tune with what is happening today,” said Binoche. “#Metoo took time to gain strength. We react very strongly recently.”
On Thursday, the French production company of “Case 137”, Haut et Court, said last week received a warning about the situation.
“Although the accusations are prior to the production of the film, we agreed with the management of the festival that the person in question will not accompany the film to Cannes, out of respect for the plaintiffs and their right to be heard, while respecting the presumption of innocence of the accused,” the company said in a statement.
