Judith Godrèche “hesitated for a long time” to come to the Césars: the condition she imposed

This February 23, 2024 will go down in the annals of French cinema. Due to the coronation of Justine Triet’s feature film, Anatomy of a fall, which is now heading towards the Oscars but not only. On stage at the Olympia, actress, director and screenwriter Judith Godrèche delivered a powerful speech, after having shaken up the world of French cinema in recent weeks with her shattering declarations on Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon. She questioned the sexual assaults that are rife in this environment and of which she was a victim in her adolescence, this time speaking, eye to eye, to what we call the big cinema family. A process for which she had imposed a condition.

The Parisian collected the words of Judith Godrèche after her speech at the César this Friday which was highly anticipated. We thus learn that no one had read the artist’s text before she declaimed it: “This was the condition for my speaking out. I went to the Olympia on Wednesday, but only to see the floor plan.”Why see the room?”I needed to know where my daughter Tess would be sitting [née de son ancien couple avec Maurice Barthélémy] to be able to identify where to anchor my gaze if I started to lose my means. Besides, to draw strength, I looked for Tess’s gaze and I had in my pocket a small statuette of a golden angel that my son [Noé, le fils qu’elle a eu avec Dany Boon] gave me.

Now that the word has been spoken, we must see the consequences. Judith Godrèche remains cautious, despite the enthusiasm of the room which offered her a standing ovation in which the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, was one of the first to participate. “If it is the expression of a common feeling, then it will translate into action. If it was a gesture that was not rooted in a belief and a desire for things to change, then nothing would happen. I wrote this speech so that it unites, so that it brings about change“, explains the actress who confided that she was touched by this scene.

Judith Godrèche little supported by the big cinema family

Judith Godrèche is not naive because what she said is also very disturbing. Proof of this is the lack of support from her peers since she revealed that she had been abused by the two filmmakers. “Those who have sent me messages can be counted on the fingers of one hand. There is a silence that I experience day by day. First, the silence of the adults from when I was a teenager, who hide in the woods: even if I understand that these people have to deal with guilt, with the difficulty of saying things, it’s still quite astonishing. Then, the silence of the cinema industry in general“, specifies the one who played in Ridiculous.

However, some personalities stand out from this discomfort caused by the statements she made. Justine Triet, Virginie Efira, Mona Achache, Bérénice Bejo, Ariane Ascaride or Thomas Cailley but also Juliette Binoche who gave her support in an interview for Gala. As for Isild Le Besco, who also spoke about the influence that Benoît Jacquot would have had over her, Judith Godrèche does not extend to the Parisian but she will say: “I am happy that his words are being released. I know how difficult it is to formulate things and name them.“It also took time since Adèle Haenel made her equally powerful splash at the César in 2020.”The world that moves“, as journalist Daphné Roulier said.

Jacques Doillon and Benoît Jacquot are presumed innocent of the alleged acts until the final end of their trial.