Catherine Corsini, the French director of “Le Retour,” which was added to the competition lineup for the 76th edition of Cannes on Monday, has addressed the reports in French media of alleged inappropriate incidents during production of the film.
Corsini’s competition slot was on hold for nearly 10 days after Cannes’s administration board heard that a scene of a sexual nature involving the 15-year old female protagonist of the film was added to the script and allegedly filmed without the consent of the Commission des Enfants du Spectacle, a government-backed organization. French reports also said Corsini was allegedly being accused of harassment by crew members, while other members of the crew had been allegedly been accused of inappropriate acts against two female actors.
Corsini and her producer Elisabeth Perez released a letter on April 25 arguing that the reports were “inaccurate” and included testimonies of cast members, including the young female protagonist Esther Gohourou and the well-known French actor Denis Podalydès.
“We want to emphasize that no complaint has been filed against Catherine Corsini, or against the film’s production,” says the letter, signed by both Perez and Corsini. The pair admitted that the only “irregularity” flagged by the CCHSCT, an org whose task is to prevent violence, harassment and sexism on shoots, was a “scene not declared, and therefore not (taken into account) by the Commission des Enfants du Spectacle.”
The letter also says the scene in question was added during filming and involved two young actors of 15 and 17 years old. “Even if we had (the actors)’s consent, we should have declared this (scene). Failing to do so constitute a breach of the law and as such, the production was sanctioned by the CNC. But let’s stop there the fantasies!” reads the letter. “The teenagers were dressed and their faces were filmed. There was no touching or inappropriate contact between them, as we have heard or read in the press,” say Corsini and Perez.
Reports have also said the production failed to hire an intimacy coach to work with the young actors on set, but Corsini and Perez say the actors “refused intimacy coach and stunts, even though they were offered to them with insistance, (because) they were trusting the relationship they had with (Corsini).”
The pair also points out the fact that they have always been committed to fight against “all forms of violence and harassment on set” and “have been involved in the first meetings conducted by 50/50 (the advocacy org.”
Corsini and Perez also addressed the two reports of alleged misconduct involving two crew members which were examined internally by the harassment referee who was present on set and Perez herself, and communicated to the CCHSCT.
In her testimonies, Gohourou says, “Catherine proposed to me a stunt and even an intimacy coach but I refused. She also proposed it to Harold and he also refused. (…). During the scene, they put us completely at ease and honestly since Harold and I had also worked together we were not uncomfortable.” The rising actor says “some people contacted the social worker of the high school to say things that had nothing to do with what happened.”
“Le Retour” follows Kheìdidja, a woman taking care of the children of a wealthy family during a summer in Corsica. The job allows Kheìdidja to return to the island with her own daughters after fleeing it 15 years prior under tragic circumstances.
Meanwhile, the film is facing some subsidy cuts from the National Film Board (CNC) due to its failure to report that scene to the Commission des Enfants du Spectacle.
The movie marks Corsini’s follow up to “The Divide” which competed at Cannes in 2021 and won a Cesar award for supporting actor Aïssatou Diallo Sagna. Corsini is the seventh female director vying for a Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes festival.
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