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00:00To take a closer look at it all, we're joined now on a set by French film producer
00:03Lausine Grimiche, producer and part of the collective 50-50, which looks for equality
00:07in filmmaking. Thanks so much for coming in and bringing us your time.
00:11Of course, we've invited you because today is the day that GĂ©rald Darpardieu is expected in court,
00:15the first trial after decades of accusations. I mean, how do you see that?
00:19It's a crucial moment for the plaintiff and I have to salute their courage to bring their
00:30GĂ©rald Darpardieu in front of the trial. It's a crucial moment because GĂ©rald Darpardieu is
00:38like a living legend for French cinema. But before being a great actor, he is.
00:46We have to mention that he's just a man facing justice and facing justice for his
00:53behaviours and his act in a set. It does seem to have taken quite a
00:58long time to get to this place. I mean, we've had accusations against him for decades and
01:02we've had very high profile French people coming out to defend GĂ©rald Darpardieu over the years.
01:06Yeah, we need changes and, you know, he's a great actor. But he also did assault to women
01:18in sets and outside of movie sets. And he brought people to the cinema, people paid the tickets
01:28for him. So he's bankable and we don't want to turn our back to a bankable guy.
01:38Ah, you think that's why people support him and protect him,
01:41is because he brings the money?
01:42In the industry, yeah, of course.
01:44But do you think that with a trial like today's trial, do you see things as changing?
01:48I mean, we had another trial, maybe not as well known as GĂ©rald Darpardieu,
01:52but there was a French director convicted just last month or in February
01:56for sexual abuse of an actress.
01:58Yeah, yeah. I think it's changing. We are facing a real great moment for the French cinema and
02:08French industry. Silence has been often chosen over justice in this industry, because it's easier
02:18to just watching on the other side when something is happening on the sets.
02:29It's easier to look away. And who is bringing about this change? It's the women, it's the actors,
02:34isn't it?
02:34Yeah, yeah, of course. And it's also the industry itself, like bringing the...
02:44Tell me in French.
02:45Yeah, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. The trainings, because, you know, yeah,
02:49there's trainings in the French industry. It's mandatory since the first January of this year,
02:552025, for everybody working in the set.
02:58Everybody?
02:59Yeah.
03:00All the actors?
03:01Actors and technicians.
03:02And the production team.
03:03Everybody. In 2020, it was mandatory for producers. If you want money from the CNC...
03:08The state, yeah.
03:09Yeah, you need to, you have to do this training on sexual harassment.
03:15Understanding what it is and how to...
03:17Yeah, exactly. And we have anti-harassment officers in the sets now. If you are a witness
03:26of something, if something happened to you, you go to this officer and you can talk with him
03:33They are not the solutions. And their role is not to resolve the problems,
03:39but it's the first step to open the...
03:43Discussion.
03:43Discussion, yeah, exactly.
03:44And is that a neutral person? I mean, who's that person employed by?
03:47They are mostly volunteers.
03:49Okay.
03:49They are working on the set and they are volunteers to be anti-harassment officers.
03:55Because sometimes it can be hard to go to a colleague and we all know how,
03:58you know, relationships develop. It's not always easy.
04:01And there's also a talk before the beginning of the shooting.
04:07And it's mainly the producers who speak about what are the measures.
04:15So that's your job then?
04:16Exactly, exactly. We have to remember and to remind people that a set is a working place.
04:25And as all working places, you should be safe. It should be a safe place.
04:30So it's our role as producers to make it safe.
04:36Of course, a lot of abuse as well happens in these meetings,
04:39talking about making a film and people, as you say,
04:41especially when somebody like maybe GĂ©rald Depardieu has such a high profile,
04:44they feel that they will be cast aside if they say anything.
04:48I mean, has there been a history of that?
04:50Yeah, most of women who had the choice to speak out,
04:58they did it in the cost of their careers.
05:04Yeah, it's a high price to pay.
05:05I'm thinking of one very strong woman, Adele Haenel, the actor.
05:07Yeah, Adele Haenel.
05:09She stood up and walked out of a French awards ceremony.
05:12France was still awarding Roman Polanski,
05:14who has been convicted in the US of unlawful sex.
05:17So is France very different then from other countries
05:19when it comes to what they feel is acceptable?
05:23I don't think so.
05:24But we have this idea coming from the Nouvelle Vague in the 60s,
05:31where the director is like a living god on the set.
05:35He's powered with the creative energy.
05:38So we have to shut up when he's here
05:40and just bow and respect everything he's doing.
05:45And it's not true.
05:46He's just like a technician.
05:49He's paid by the producing company to do the movie.
05:52Even if he's got this creative aura,
05:58we have to just finish with that.
06:01And you do think this is starting to change now?
06:03Because there's been quite a lot of cases in France at the moment.
06:06Do you think that the can has opened, if you like,
06:08or the door has opened and that people feel freer to speak?
06:11Yeah, yeah.
06:12And I think it's also with the new generations.
06:16They're braver?
06:17Yeah.
06:18Or just that things have changed?
06:19No, no.
06:19They are bringing the changes.
06:21Okay.
06:23They are aware at least of what is wrong,
06:24what is not acceptable, perhaps.
06:26Exactly, exactly.
06:26More than...
06:27Because, you know, it's again that those letters of support
06:30from so many people, including actors in France,
06:32has shocked a lot of people around the world.
06:34I mean, are there still people in the industry
06:38that think the Me Too, as they call it, has gone too far?
06:40There does seem to be a bit of a pushback.
06:42Yeah, we had a book about that lately by Caroline Fourest,
06:47Le Vertige Me Too.
06:48And I think it's just a mistake to think like that.
06:52When you see the statistics of sexual assault or rape in France,
07:00it's really frightening.
07:03We have 30,000 complaints of rape just in 2023.
07:1190,000 in total, including sexual assault.
07:16And 70% of that, of complaints, did not lead to a trial.
07:22Yeah, they're brushed aside when people are told
07:24there's not enough proof.
07:26Yeah, exactly.
07:27There's a lack of evidence.
07:27So what happens currently on set if somebody comes with a complaint?
07:31What happens then once they've told this person on the set?
07:33Oh, yeah, we can stop the shooting.
07:37It's very expensive, but we have insurances to do that.
07:40We can stop for three days.
07:41But will people?
07:43Sorry?
07:43Will producers make that call or directors?
07:46Yeah.
07:47It's happening?
07:48It's happening.
07:48It's happening.
07:50It happened on the set of Caroline Beaumarchand.
07:55She's a French producer with a movie that will be released this week.
08:01And the producer have to...
08:03And it's a very complicated position for producers
08:06because we are running a movie and we have to do an investigation.
08:13But we are not the right person to do that.
08:17And there is also money problems.
08:20But who pays for that and where you're stopping a set?
08:25What happened during these days?
08:26OK.
08:27Sadly, we'll have to leave it there.
08:28But there's a lot more to discuss on how we could eke out that solution.
08:31But I'm glad to think it has begun.
08:34Now, Signe Grimmich, thanks so much for giving us your time on France 24.