Dominique Boutonat was re-elected director of France’s National Film Center (CNC) amid harsh criticism from parts of the local film industry for his performance and an ongoing investigation into sexual abuse allegations.
Expectations that he will seek a second term in the three-year period have been high since France’s new culture minister, Rima Abdul Malak, expressed support for him in an interview in late June.
Several film organizations are pushing for Butona’s re-election, but for different reasons.
The corporation of French directors, the Société des Réalisateurs, released a statement last week criticizing Boutonna’s more conventional approach, which saw the CNC expand its focus beyond independent cinema to support other formats such as drama TV series and video games.
The gender equality group Le Collectif 50/50 is also pushing for his re-election, but also because of allegations of sexual abuse against him. The agency said that regardless of the outcome of the case, Boutonati should not be reconsidered for the job as the investigation continues.
Boutonati has been under investigation since October 2020 after his godson filed a police complaint accusing him of sexual assault during a family vacation in Greece in 2020.
The former producer denied the allegations and his lawyer suggested he could sue his accuser. In an interview in June, Culture Minister Abdul Malak highlighted the fact that Boutonat was “under investigation but not convicted”.
Source: Deadline
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