French actors denounce abuse by directors when they were teenagers in new

As French cinema basks in Academy Awards attention, actors who allege they were teenage victims of sexual and physical abuse by directors decades older than them are shining the light on the repulsive underside of the country’s industry.

The latest step in the #MeToo movement could come at the French cinema awards on Friday.

French media are reporting that Judith Godrèche is to make a speech on sexual violence at the Cesar Awards ceremony, France’s version of the Oscars, which is broadcast live on television.

Godrèche already sent a powerful message to the public through recent interviews in which she denounced an “omerta” in the industry.

It comes as French cinema is expected to shine next month at the Oscars ceremony with Justine Triet ‘s courtroom drama “ Anatomy of a Fall.”

Godrèche, 51, is well-known to French cinemagoers. She recently accused two film directors of rape and sexual abuse when she was a teenager. She formally filed a complaint earlier this month, the Paris prosecutor said.