Depardieu convicted. Cannes reacts. But did #MeToo finally win in France?

PARIS (AP) - For powerful men in France's film industry, this was a week of reckoning.

Gérard Depardieu - the country's most famous actor - was convicted of sexual assault. Two days later, the Cannes Film Festival barred another actor accused of rape from walking the red carpet.

Together, the decisions sent a message France had long resisted: that artistic brilliance may no longer shield those who abuse their power.

For decades, Depardieu was revered as French cinema's "sacred monster" - a towering talent whose gluttony, volatility, and magnetism became part of his myth. With more than 250 films to his name, many believed he would remain untouchable even after more than 20 women accused him of sexual misconduct.

Now, that myth has cracked. The verdict has revived a broader question France has ducked since the dawn of #MeToo: Can a country that celebrates seduction and irreverence finally hold its male icons to account?

France has long lived its own #MeToo contradiction with a long-held belief in "l'exception culturelle." That talent, charm, or intellect forgives misconduct and the art excuses the artist. Catherine Deneuve has defended "the freedom to bother,” while Brigitte Bardot has dismissed feminism outright: "Feminism isn't my thing. I like men."

But the ground is shifting - fast.

Depardieu was handed an 18-month suspended sentence Tuesday for groping two women on a 2021 film set. He denies the charges and is appealing.

"It's the end of impunity of artists with a capital A," Carine Durrieu Diebolt, a lawyer for one of the two women who won their case against Depardieu, told The Associated Press. The verdict represented "a bookend for putting actors on a pedestal because they were talented," she added.

Two days later, the prestigious Cannes Film Festival barred actor Théo Navarro-Mussy - accused of rape by three former partners - from attending the premiere of a film he stars in. Though the file was dropped for lack of evidence, the women are relaunching their case as a civil complaint.

Navarro-Mussy denies wrongdoing. His lawyer said she's unaware of any ongoing proceedings against him.

What stunned wasn't just the decision, but who made it. Cannes director Thierry Frémaux had long been seen as emblematic of the old guard. He defended Roman Polanski for years and continued to screen his films despite the director's 1977 guilty plea in the U.S. for sex with a 13-year-old. In 2018, when asked why Cannes still included Polanski, Frémaux said: "These are complicated matters."

Frémaux opened 2023’s festival with a film starring Johnny Depp, despite the actor's highly public legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard over allegations of domestic abuse, in which he was never criminally charged. When asked about the backlash, Frémaux replied: "I only have one rule: it's the freedom of thinking, and the freedom of speech and acting within a legal framework."

This week, the rules changed.

"The Cannes decision is of course linked to the Depardieu verdict," said Céline Piques of Osez le féminisme ("Dare Feminism!"), a group that campaigns against sexual violence. "(They've) realized which way the wind is blowing. Frémaux is trying to right the wrongs."

Not everyone welcomed the verdict - or what followed - as a cultural turning point.

Fanny Ardant, one of French cinema's grandes dames and a longtime friend of Depardieu, sat on his side in court. She is now directing him in a film in Portugal, despite the conviction.

"Fanny Ardant? She completely missed the point," said Piques. "She downplayed the violence, normalized it. That's rape culture, plain and simple."

Juliette Binoche, Cannes jury president and one of France's most respected actresses, struck a note of restraint: "He's not a monster. He's a man - one who has, apparently, been desacralized."

In 2024, more than 22,000 rapes were reported in France. Fewer than 3% led to convictions. "The Depardieu verdict shows there's progress," said lawyer Anne-Sophie Laguens, who works with victims of sexual assault. "But for most women, the barriers to justice remain enormous."

When Bertrand Cantat - frontman of Noir Désir and once one of France's bestselling rock singers - launched a 2018 comeback tour, he had served just four years in prison for killing his partner, actress Marie Trintignant, during a violent assault.

Despite public outrage, he returned to the stage and performed.

"That would be unthinkable today," said Piques. "The public mood has changed. What we tolerate has changed."

One breakthrough came not in cinema, but in a Bordeaux courtroom. The conviction of 51 men for drugging and raping Gisele Pelicot - a case long ignored despite her pleas - marked a turning point. For years, shame was hers. Now, it belongs to the perpetrators.

"It proved rapists aren't just strangers in alleys," said Piques. "They're husbands. Colleagues. Respected men."

Other recent convictions in entertainment included director Christophe Ruggia, who was convicted of abusing actress Adèle Haenel when she was a minor, though he is appealing; and actor-director Nicolas Bedos, who was sentenced for sexual assault.

Slowly but surely, yes. The system that long protected men like Depardieu is not yet dismantled, but it is shifting.

As one of the actor's accusers said through tears after the ruling: "I'm very, very much satisfied with the decision. That's a victory for me, really. And a big progress, a step forward. I feel justice was made."