As Cannes readies for #MeToo bombshell, fest says it won’t automatically kick out accused directors and talent

A sense of dread is looming over this year’s Cannes Film Festival, with rumors that several stars and directors at the fest could be outed as sexual predators.

But the fest’s president saying they’ll take it on a “case-by-case” basis.

French press has been reporting that a list of 12 actors and directors will be hit with #MeToo allegations during the international festival, which starts next week. 

“French cinema is in a cold sweat,” said a headline in Le Figaro, which also claimed that the fest is so worried they’ve hired a crisis PR team.

But festival President Iris Knobloch said this week in an interview with Paris Match that if someone with a movie playing the festival is named, their film will not immediately be disqualified. 

“We’re extremely attentive to what is happening today, and we’re following the situation closely,” she said. “If the case of a person being implicated should arise, we will take care to make the right decision on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with the board and all the involved parties. But we would also consider the work to see what is best for it. It is the real star.” 

The #MeToo movement has been revived overseas by French actress and activist Judith Godrèche, whose film “Moi Aussi,” (#MeToo) will play the Un Certain Regard selection at the festival.

The film will also pay for free to the public as part of the Cinéma de la Plage beach screenings section.

Godrèche filed two complaints of rape with the police against French filmmakers Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon earlier this year, accusing both of assaulting her when she was only a teenager. 

They have both denied the charges.

Cannes previously reckoned with #MeToo in 2018 as women came out against Harvey Weinstein, a movie industry titan and Cannes regular, with several of his assaults happening during the festival.  

That year, they launched a hotline along with the French government that victims could call to report any incidents.

Former fest president Pierre Lescure and artistic director Thierry Frémaux said in a statement at the time, “These actions point to a pattern of behavior that merits only the clearest and most unequivocal condemnation,” adding they hoped the case would, “help us once again to denounce all such serious and unacceptable practices.”

That same year, French actress Catherine Deneuve and others denounced the #MeToo movement in a letter to Le Monde saying,  “insistent or clumsy flirting is not a crime, nor is gallantry a chauvinist aggression.”