Warning: This article can affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone who is affected.
The French actor Gérard Depardieu was brought to trial in Paris on Monday because he had sexually attacked two women at a film set, in one case as a potential water sheath for the #metoo movement in France.
Depardieu, 76, will be accused of filming a 54-year-old set chest Green shutters ((The green shutters).
The actor faces a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of 75,000 euros (81,000 US dollars) if they are convicted.
Depardieu denies any misconduct.
To reporters who were massaged in front of the courtroom, he said briefly: “I’m fine.” Inside, he told the judges that he was ready to answer the questions of the court.
“We will show in an impartial, objective and undeniable manner that all accusations are lies,” his lawyer Jérémie Assouus told journalists who were massaged outside of the courtroom.
“The truth will be obvious and the truth is on our side,” he said.
Test of the settings of France
Depardieus long and famous career has transformed the process in a post-#-#-metoo test of the willingness of France and his film industry to confront sexual violence and to hold influential men.
Depardieu has been a favorite French cinema for decades and was nominated for his performance as a swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac Oscar in 1991.
But his alleged boring behavior outside the screen has made headlines for a long time. It was accused publicly or in formal complaints about misconduct of more than 20 women, but so far only the case of sexual attacks has gone to court. Some others were dropped due to lack of evidence or the limitation period.
Feminist and historian Florence Montreynaud described Depardieu’s court as a “historical moment” for women’s rights when she joined other activists who demonstrated before the court. A dozen sang “sexist violence, sophisticated judicial system” when they danced to techno music.
“The times change. #Metoo has passed through. Finally, the mentalities change,” said Montreynaud to the French broadcaster BfMTV.
The process also follows the historical case last year, in which Gisèle Pelicot is involved, whose bravery in France put sexual violence in the foreground. She demanded that the drug and rape procedure against 51 men tried a terrible catalog of abuse in front of an open dish and argued that this would help to change the pages of changes in shame.
France was often ambivalent – even resistant – towards the #metoo movement. While Hollywood saw mighty men falling quickly and publicly, the French film industry was slower. Some meadows #metoo as American export, which was not compatible with French values, and cited concerns about the free expression and what they regarded as an erosion of flirt culture.
At the time of the alleged attacks, Depardieu was formally examined for rape. In 2018, actor Charlotte Arns accused him of raping her in his house at the age of 22. This case is still active, and in August 2024 the prosecutors demanded that he were brought to court.
Arnoild and actor Anouk Grinberg, who played next to Depardieu in Green shutters And has publicly criticized Depardieu because of his sexual behavior and was one of those who were present in the courtroom to follow the procedure.
The public prosecutor says Depardieu caught the set chest of drawers with her legs before groping her waist and breasts in front of witnesses. She says the actor also used an obscene language and had to be pulled away by bodyguards.
The deputy director claimed that Depardieu felt her both on the set and on the street.
The women sat side by side. The Associated Press calls people who say they have been sexually attacked unless they agree to identification. In this case, this did not do so either.
The sexual assault procedure is expected to take at least two days, but could be extended beyond Tuesday if the top judge wishes more time. The attempt was originally planned for October, but was postponed because of the health of Depardieu. A judgment is expected at a later date.
Depardieu took the shoulder of his lawyer when he climbed into the courtroom calmly. The actor has undergone a four -time heart -bypass and has diabetes according to his lawyer. A judicial medical expert found that he was on trial, but recommended that the hearings do not exceed six hours, with a 15-minute break and a snack every three hours.
The plaintiffs who want to be heard to be heard
Depardieu, besides giving his name, did not say on Monday. Instead, his lawyer took most of the time, where he set out what he described as legal questions and tried to give doubts about testimony and police investigations. The lawyer claimed without providing any evidence that the police acted with the instructions of judges who headed the investigation to bring “depardieu to autumn”.
Depardieu listened carefully and sometimes nodded.
One of the plaintiffs broke out in tears when her lawyer read a message that she wrote about the alleged sexual assault. The other accuser sat by her side and put a hand on her shoulder in a gesture of empathy.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers said they would interpret their evidence later.
One of the lawyers, Carine Durrieu Diebolt, said Depardieu apologized at the time with her client. “So why excuse if you haven’t done anything?”
It was unclear what the apology was about.
Before the examination, she told Reuters that her client was afraid to act against Depardieu.
“There is a fear because he is a cinema giant,” said Durrieu Diebolt. “It is a struggle between David and Goliath and they are afraid of retaliation because they all work in the cinema, but at a much lower level than depardieu.”
Durrieu Diebolt had previously said that four other women who were sexually attacked by Depardieu will testify.
In an open letter published in Le Figaro in October 2023, Depardieu wrote: “Never, but never, I misused a woman.”
Depardieu, a highly towering figure of French cinema, has appeared out of sight in the past few months, his film career apparently on hold. But he still has friends in the industry. The actors Vincent Perez and Fanny Ardant were among those who took seats on his side of the courtroom.
