“A work that stands out.” This is the reason why the International Historical Film Festival confirmed offering the film “J’accuse”, written and directed by Roman Polanski, in its 2025 edition, both for school audiences and in its official selection.
While the celebrations opened on November 18 in Pessac (Gironde), until the 23rd, the NousToutes collective was angry in a press release on Friday about the program. “This choice is an insult to the victims,” we can read on their Instagram.
“Showing (this) film is to trivialize sexual violence and perpetuate the silence that protects the aggressor, as well as to finance an aggressor”, denounced the collective, repeating the now famous statement: “We cannot separate the man from the artist”.
As a reminder, in particular, director Roman Polanski has been considered a fugitive in the United States for more than forty years, after being convicted of “illegal sexual relations” with a 13-year-old minor.
“Terrible message”
A civil trial against the director for the 1973 rape of a minor scheduled for August 2025 in California was recently canceled following an agreement between the parties. Many other women have accused Roman Polanski of sexual violence, but he denies it.
The film “J’accuse”, released in 2019, about the Dreyfus affair, received the César for best direction in 2020, which directly led to the departure of Adèle Haenel and Céline Sciamma, in particular, launching “This is a shame! Shame!”.
The screening “sends a terrible message because talent or fame is no excuse”, NousToustes added. The feminist collective then vowed to remain mobilized as long as Roman Polanski remained on the bill.
The 35th edition of the festival, themed around “secrets” and “lies”, claims to be “the first cinema event in France” in terms of school audiences and will welcome many cinema professionals and even former president François Hollande.
