Cannes 2023: Why was this French director pulled out of competition at the last minute?

On April 13, Thierry Fremaux presented the official selection for the 76th Cannes Film Festival, which will be held from May 16 to 27. Between competition, non-competition, special screenings and incredulous viewing, fifty good feature films have been announced, and several more should be added in the coming days. But perhaps by Catherine Corsini.

Two years after the fracture, The Return was to be celebrated in the French director’s competition. And Thierry Fremaux had already told him accordingly Parisianwhich explains the reasons for his absence until today: the board of directors wanted to take time and discuss “state of affairs” Before deciding on his choice.

The reason for this reversal is twofold. As abusive acts are likely against the filmmaker and two members of the team, there is also a possible stretch. “heavy” Underage Actors Protection Legislation, which prompted Chaz Productions to seek reimbursement from the CNC (National Center for Motion Picture and Motion Picture Arts) last January.

or 680,000 euros (including 580,000 advances on receipts and 100,000 automatic support). “Very rare procedure” According to Olivier Hennard, general delegate of the CNC, for a difficult situation. French law provides strict frameworks for the employment of actors under the age of 16.

In the scripts, we make sure that there is no child nudity on the screen, or scenes that are traumatic for actors who are too young.

Thus, each film must first receive a green light from the body of the Committee for the Protection of Children, which consists of representatives of various institutions (judiciary, national education, Ministry of Culture, etc.). And the studied points refer to working hours and pay, as well as safety conditions. or morality.

“In the scripts, we check, for example, that there is no child nudity on screen, or that the scenes are not traumatic for actors who are too young.”said Agnes Thullier, representative of the Ministry of Culture at the Paris Commission in an interview with Le Parisien. “If in doubt, we can request additional guarantees from the producers or have senior actors perform the scenes.”

With this in mind, passages of a sexual nature are subject to special vigilance. Gold Le Retour tells the story of a woman (Aïssatou Diallo Sagna, the revelation of La Fracture) in Corsica with her two daughters. One of the youngest (played by a 15-and-a-half-year-old actress during filming), who awakens sexuality in the sequence of masturbation with a boy. A missing scene from the script sent to the commission, which failed to study it.

If producer Elizabeth Perez admits their mistake by stating that the scene was not hidden, but added after rewriting during filming, the authorization request should still be made. His absence will cost the film dearly. “Whether this failure was intentional or not, it doesn’t change anything for us”– says Olivier Henrad. “We are prohibited from allocating aid to jobs that do not comply with social legislation.

However, the CNC could find a solution to help pay the bills, as well as the technicians and service providers who worked on the film, which will see the light of day whether or not it’s selected at Cannes. If the alleged acts of harassment against Catherine Corsini, as well as the inappropriate gestures of two members of the team towards the actors, her future is not a little more cloudy, if they are confirmed.

We are prohibited from allocating aid to jobs that do not comply with social legislation

Elizabeth Peres condemns A “evil” And claims that all necessary arrangements were made during filming. But the Cinema Branch Health, Safety and Working Conditions Committee (CHSCT) took notice, took up the case and wrote a report. And a conclusion would be made in the prosecutor’s office.

A year after Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi’s “Almond Trees,” which was marked by complaints against its actor Sofiane Benasser, “The Return” should also cause a flood of ink. without going through skin selection.