When the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke two years ago, the news was mostly met in France with a Gallic shrug. Screen icon Catherine Deneuve even denounced the #MeToo movement as creating a “totalitarian” environment. But bombshell accusations this month from actors Adèle Haenel and Valentine Monnier may finally have turned the tide in the local film industry.

Following the Nov. 4 publication of an investigation by news website Mediapart, in which Haenel accused director Christophe Ruggia of having sexually harassed her for years from the time she was 12, French stars such as Marion Cotillard, Isabelle Adjani and Jean Dujardin, as well as institutions such as UniFrance and the directors’ guild Srf, have spoken out in support of Haenel and, to a larger extent, all victims of alleged sexual abuse in the movie business. Ruggia was swiftly booted from the Srf, and is now being investigated by the Paris prosecutor.

Four days later,
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