• César Awards: Polanski wins the best director award between actresses and public protests

"What a shame," shouted French actress Adèle Haenel as she left the Pleyel hall outraged, where last night in Paris the movie J'accuse ( The officer and the spy ) won three César awards: best director (Roman Polanski), best adaptation (Polanksi and Robert Harris) and better costumes .

"Thank you, Adèle Haenel, your position adopted yesterday was a consolation after the slap in the fight against sexual violence. We will continue this fight inspired by brave heroines like you, who dare to break the law of silence," he wrote this Saturday in his account Twitter the organization Osez feminisme !.

Haenel, who has become the face of the #MeToo movement in France after denouncing director Christophe Ruggia for sexual harassment, had said days before rewarding Polanski would be " spitting in the face of all victims . That is to say, raping Women is not so bad. " Indignant at the Polanski award, which several women accuse of rape, she left the room before the ceremony ended, along with director Céline Sciamma and other actresses.

"Long live pedophilia, bravo pedophilia," added the actress with irony as she clapped her hands down the stairs to leave the premises where the César ceremony took place, as shown in an exclusive video of the French weekly Paris Match. Both Haenel and many of the women who accuse Polanski are survivors of sexual abuse that they allegedly suffered at the hands of these film directors when they were minors.

Swan Arlaud, winner of César for best supporting actor for his role in Gracias a Dios , said Haenel "was right" to leave the room and considered Polanski's award "unpleasant." His film addresses the issue of pedophilia in the Church.

Polanski and the entire film team were absent from the gala due to protests organized by feminists and to avoid further tensions. Feminist associations protested on the streets on Friday against the director and the French Academy of Cinema for rewarding what they consider "a rapist."

Protest of the Minister of Culture

During the ceremony, actor Jean-Pierre Darroussin pretended to choke on reading Polanski's name when he presented the prize for best adaptation. And the humorist and presenter of the ceremony, Florence Foresti, was "indignant" on her Instagram account after knowing the distinction to Polanski.

French culture minister Franck Riester lamented Caesar on Polanski on Saturday. "Celebrating" the Franco-Polish director throws, in his opinion, "a negative message" to victims of sexual violence. "We must not take the word of the victims in vain," Riester added in statements to Europe 1 radio.

"Every time a Caesar is delivered, it is a message that is sent to society," said the minister. "There are a large number of women who have suffered and continue to suffer sexist and sexual assaults and who do not understand that there may be a form of Roman Polanski celebration," Riester explained. For his part, he said he understood the reaction of Haenel and other women who left the ceremony after hearing that Polanski was the winner of Caesar's best director.

Not all were condemned to the prize to Polanski. "When I love someone, I love him passionately. I love Roman Polansk , very much, so I am very happy for him. Everyone does not agree, but long live freedom," said the actress Fanny Ardant , winner of the award for best supporting actress.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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