Dominique Boutonnat, the president of France’s Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC or French National Centre of Cinema), has been sentenced to three years in prison for sexual assault, with one year to be served under house arrest. The verdict, handed down on 28 June 2024 in Paris, comes after Boutonnat was found guilty of sexually assaulting his then 19-year-old godson in August of 2020.

Boutonnat’s case has unfolded against the backdrop of a growing #MeToo movement in France’s film industry. Despite being indicted in February 2021, he was reappointed for a second term in 2022 and continued presence at the helm of the CNC has been controversial. Following the conviction, Boutonnat wrote a letter to the organization resigning from his position as head of the CNC, effective immediately.

The French Culture Minister, Rachida Dati, has appointed Olivier Henrard, the CNC’s deputy managing director, as the interim director of the organization. This swift action was meant to ensure continuity in the leadership of the CNC, which plays a crucial role in supporting and promoting French cinema, as well as legislative policy affecting the country’s film industry.