After the revelations concerning actor Sofiane Bennacer, lead role in the film “les Amandiers” indicted for “rape and violence against a spouse”, the Academy of Caesars announces that it will exclude from its selections for the 2023 ceremony any person challenged by the courts “for acts of violence”.
The moult continues. For its next ceremony which must take place at the end of February, the Academy of Caesars will withdraw any person implicated “for acts of violence”. “Out of respect for the victims (even presumed in the event of indictment or non-final conviction), it was decided not to highlight people who would be implicated by justice for acts of violence”, writes the Academy in a press release published on Monday. At this stage, the decision only applies to the 2023 ceremony, as no modification of the Rules has yet been voted on.
In short, if one of the people named to the Caesars is indicted or sentenced for acts of violence – in particular sexist and sexual – they will be automatically excluded from the ceremony to be held on February 25 and from all associated events. “This withdrawal will also exclude any speaking “in the name of this person” during these same events – including if a Caesar were to be awarded to him at the end of the second round of voting”, details the Academy. If the contours remain blurred, it seems that a person in question could therefore still receive a Caesar [peut être à titre collectif]although she is excluded from the ceremony.
The decision was announced a few weeks after the media coverage of the “Sofiane Bennacer affair”. The young actor, who interprets the first male role in the film The Almond Trees of Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, was indicted for “rape and spousal abuse” by an examining magistrate in Mulhouse in October. Release has also collected the testimonies of several women implicating the actor for acts of sexual and physical violence in an investigation published on November 24.
Sofiane Bennacer a time among the “best hopes” of the year
In November, the “revelations” committee of the Academy of Caesars found itself in an unfortunate position for having selected Sofiane Bennacer among the “best hopes” of the year. A controversy which she would have done without after the explosion of the Terzian system and the total overhaul of its statutes and its teams under the effect of the controversy triggered by the Caesar for best director awarded to Roman Polanski.
In reaction to the revelations concerning Sofiane Bennacer, whose indictment had been made public by The Parisian, the Academy had removed the actor from the list of 32 revelations for the 2023 ceremony. The actor had strongly criticized the choice of Caesars on his social networks, denying the accusations against him. Near Releasehe claims to be «innocent».
In view of the media echo of the case, the Caesars subsequently opened a reflection on their rules, which could even lead to a modification of them. As the statement from the Academy reminds us, to date, nothing in the texts provides “the hypothesis of a judicial questioning of a participant in an eligible film”. A work that must continue in the first half of 2023, “given the magnitude and complexity of these issues”. It was only after the discussions led by a dedicated working group bringing together personalities, associations, competent authorities and the Board of the Academy – that a “possible change in the rules of the Academy will be proposed to the vote according to the statutory democratic modalities”.