The head of France’s leading cinema institution, Dominique Boutonnat, is set to face trial in June on charges of sexually assaulting his godson, prosecutors announced on Wednesday.
The news comes amid a renewed #MeToo reckoning in French cinema, with several prominent figures, including acting legend Gerard Depardieu, facing accusations of sexual abuse.
Activists have demanded that 54-year-old Boutonnat, who heads the influential National Centre of Cinema (CNC), step down from his position following the allegations against him, arguing that he is unfit to lead necessary reforms.
Boutonnat has vehemently denied the accusations.
The trial is scheduled for June 14, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Both the CNC and Boutonnat’s lawyer were not immediately available for comment.
Boutonnat’s godson, not a relative, accused him in 2020 of sexual abuse during a holiday in Greece earlier that same year when he was 21 years old.
While the film producer claims the encounters were consensual, he was charged with sexual assault in September 2022.
The French government had reappointed him to a second term as CNC president a few months earlier, much to the dismay of activists.
The case gained renewed attention after actor Judith Godreche demanded Boutonnat’s removal from his position during a landmark hearing in the upper-house Senate last week.
Godreche argued that the CNC would not be a credible institution to address sexual violence if its president faced such accusations.
She has emerged as a prominent figure in France’s #MeToo movement after accusing two directors of rape and sexual assault when she was a minor, allegations they deny.
The CNC plays a pivotal role in French cinema, providing significant financial support for both local and foreign arthouse films.
