Aude Hesbert, who was tasked with replacing Bruno Barde as director of the Deauville American Film Festival, is in turmoil after removing artist Ibrahim Maalouf from the jury of this 50e edition. According to information from PointMaïwenn, a feminist critical of the #MeToo movement, was also ousted by Aude Hesbert. The director and actress was to chair the jury.
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Maïwenn le Besco, better known as Maïwenn, had been asked as early as June 5 by the former director of the festival Bruno Barde to be the president of the jury. This choice, approved internally, was finally called into question shortly after the ouster of Bruno Barde and his replacement by Aude Hesbert.
READ ALSO Deauville Festival Jury: Why Ibrahim Maalouf is taking legal actionBruno Barde, director of Public Système Cinéma, was dismissed in mid-June by the group’s management after being targeted by accusations of harassment and sexual assault by seven female employees, according to an investigation by Mediapart.
“Team unease” to justify dismissing Ibrahim Maalouf
Maïwenn having been chosen directly by Bruno Barde, Aude Hesbert preferred to reverse this decision and proposed the presidency of the jury to the actor Benoît Magimel.
The director had however started to compose her jury and contacted the actress Anamaria Vartolomei, who ultimately did not appear on it. The choice to bring in Ibrahim Maalouf had been made before Maïwenn’s nomination. The director learned of her ouster on June 18, through her agent and a few days after Aude Hesbert’s nomination.
Aude Hesbert will also take over Bruno Barde’s duties as head of Public Système Cinéma, the Gérardmer International Fantastic Film Festival in early 2025 and the Reims Police Film Festival next April.
On August 24, she had stated in The Sunday Tribune having taken “the difficult but necessary decision to exclude Ibrahim Maalouf from the jury” following “collective reflection” and “unease in the team” in connection with MeToo. The new director was referring to the case of sexual assault on a minor in which the trumpeter was acquitted in 2020.
Contacted, Aude Hesbert had not yet responded to our requests at the time of publication of this article.
