French CNC President to Face Trial on Sexual Assault Charges

Dominique Boutonnat, president of France’s state-owned film funding body, the Center National du Cinema (CNC), will face criminal trial over allegations of sexual assault on his adult godson.

Boutonnat, one of the most powerful figures in French cinema, has been under police investigation since the criminal complaint against him was filed in October 2020. He was prosecuted in February 2021. Boutonnat’s godson, with whom he has no family ties, accused him of sexual abuse. assaulting him during a family vacation in Greece. The godson was 21 years old at the time.

Boutonnat has denied all the accusations against him.

There were widespread calls within French industry for Boutonnat to be suspended until the criminal case against him was resolved. But, despite the accusations and the accusation, he was re-elected for a second three-year term at the head of the CNC in July.

French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak defended the decision at the time, citing the “presumption of innocence” and, in an interview with the French newspaper the parisian calling Boutonnat a “pioneer in the fight against sexual and sexist violence.”

The accusations against Boutonnat came shortly after he launched a new initiative to combat sexual violence in France’s film and television industry.

A former producer and financier of movies like The Untouchables, Policies Y A perfect planBoutonnat also has close ties to French President Emmanuel Macron and was a prominent donor to Macron’s 2017 election campaign.

The AFP news service was the first to report on Boutonnat’s trial.