César film awards ban nominees investigated for sexual violence 

The 2023 Oscars celebration in France will be off-limits to anyone who may be sentenced to prison for sexual assault, according to the announcement.

The César Awards, which will be presented the following month, stated that it was acting out of respect for any potential victims.

As a result, the French actor Sofiane Bennacer, who is disputing the rape allegations, will not be attending the ceremony.

If Mr. Bennacer attended, there were worries about unrest. It comes after an outcry in 2020 when Roman Polanski won best director despite being sought in the US for statutory rape.

The César Academy, the organisation that selects the winners, indicated it was considering revising the eligibility requirements in November after removing Mr. Bennacer from the list of nominees.

Since then, it has been made clear that anyone who is being investigated for a serious crime that carries a prison sentence, especially one with a sexual element, would not be allowed to attend this year’s ceremony on February 25.

The Academy will choose whether to make the prerequisites a permanent rule.

Before authorities opened an inquiry into rape and sexual assault claims, Mr. Bennacer, 25, was nominated for his performance in Les Amandiers, which is known as Forever Young in other countries.

Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, the film’s director, claimed he was the victim of a “media lynching,” despite the fact that he refuted the allegations.

Due to allegations of sexual assault in the film industry, the Academy is still being held accountable.

In 2020, following Mr. Polanski’s nomination for best director, the entire board of directors resigned. When he won, there was a huge uproar, and numerous actresses left the ceremony.

For the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl, Mr. Polanski has been wanted in the US since the 1970s. In 1977, he admitted to having illicit relations with a minor and was sentenced to six weeks in prison. However, he later left the country out of fear that his plea agreement would be rejected.

Valentine Monnier, a former model, accused him of raping her in 1975. The accusation was refuted “in the strongest terms,” according to Mr. Polanski’s attorney.