'French Oscars' bars those investigated for sex crimes

PARIS: Movie stars and other film industry workers convicted of or facing possible prison time for sexual or sexist violence are being banned from France's top movie award ceremony "out of respect for the victims." The handing out of the Cesar awards - the French equivalent of the Oscars - is a glittering highlight of the movie industry calendar in France.

The Cesars have also faced scrutiny in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Women's rights activists protested outside the 2020 ceremony where director Roman Polanski won an award. Adele Haenel, who alleged sexual assault by another French director in the early 2000s when she was 15, walked out of the room, followed by a few others. Polanski is still wanted in the US, decades after he was charged with raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977.

The board that oversees the Cesars announced this week that "out of respect for the victims" it has "decided to not shine a light on people accused by judicial authorities of violent acts." Potential nominees won't be invited to the ceremony if they're under investigation for violence, notably sexual or sexist violence, the board said. The same will also apply to people already convicted of such acts.

Other people would also not be allowed to speak on their behalf if they win an award, the board said. ap