National Center of Cinema Director Dominique Boutonnat speaks on stage as part of the 24th edition of the “Festival de la fiction” in La Rochelle on Sept. 16, 2022. Boutonnat’s trial for the alleged sexual assault of his 21-year-old godson started on June 14, 2024, at Nanterre’s courthouse. XAVIER LEOTY / AFP
NANTERRE, France — The head of France’s top cinema institution Dominique Boutonnat denied sexually assaulting his godson as he went on trial Friday, June 14, in a case that has led to calls for him to step down.
The trial comes as French cinema reels from a renewed #MeToo reckoning that has seen several big names, including acting legend Gerard Depardieu, accused of sexual abuse.
Activists have denounced Boutonnat’s continued leadership of the National Centre of Cinema (CNC), whose role includes overseeing measures to curb sexual violence in the industry.
His godson accuses him of trying to masturbate him during a holiday in Greece in 2020 when he was 19.
“I looked at him to find my godfather and that’s when I saw someone completely different… It was someone using me to masturbate,” the godson, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court.
The unnamed godson of CNC (Centre National du Cinema or National Center of Cinema) Director Dominique Boutonnat arrives at Nanterre courthouse, north suburb of Paris, on Friday, June 14, 2024, as Boutonnat appears on trial for alleged sexual assault of his 21-year-old godson. STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP
Boutonnat responded in court that it was his godson who had initiated the situation and kissed him.
“I feel bad about leaving an ambiguous situation, but to say there was a sexual assault is false,” he told the court.
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He was placed under investigation in February 2021 but still reappointed by the government as head of the CNC in July 2022.
Training to prevent abuse has in recent months become obligatory for films seeking public funding via the CNC.
The CNC told AFP that the case against Boutonnat came from “the private sphere” and had no relation to its activities.