In New York, Judith Godrèche regrets the “terrifying silence” of policies on sexual violence

“Each time a door opens, it closes”: invited Tuesday of a film festival in New York, Judith Godrèche, Metoo spearhead in France, compared the denunciation of sexual violence to an eternal start, regretting the “terrifying silence” of politicians on the subject.

“In France, each time a door opens and there is a momentum, it closes, and you must continue, continue,” launched the actress and director, who came to present her short film “Moi too” at the “Rendez-vous with Fricnch Cinema”.

The actress had sparked a blast in France in early 2024, accusing the filmmaker Benoît Jacquot, then Jacques Doillon of sexual assault, for facts dating back to her adolescence. The first, who had had a relationship with Judith Godrèche when she was 14 years old and he was 25 more, was indicted in the summer of 2024 for rape on two other actresses, Julia Roy and Isild Le Besco.

“The political answer is a terrifying silence”

Judith Godrèche alluded to the scandal of sexual violence of the Notre-Dame-de-Bétharram Catholic private school dating back to the 1990s, in which French Prime Minister François Bayrou was accused of having been informed, which he denies. For Judith Godrèche, he was “obviously”.

“With each (scandal), that makes the front page, then after, the political response is a terrifying silence,” she said.

In his short film, where his daughter Tess Barthélémy appears, Judith Godrèche brought together hundreds of anonymous people and victims of sexual violence that had written her after she broke the silence. “Being an icon, I have the impression that it is dangerous too, because we say -it’s it. No, it’s not me, it’s society, it’s all the others, ”she says. “We must always explain that I am only a person in the midst of a huge amount of victims.”