On February 24 former film producer Harvey Weinstein was convicted of one count of third-degree rape and one count of criminal sexual assault in the first degree, for which the maximum sentence is 25 years’ imprisonment.
While many identify the birth of #MeToo with the women who first came forward to accuse Hollywood players such as Weinstein of rape and sexual assault, I would argue that his conviction is the real beginning of the movement.
Until rich and powerful men are sent to prison to face the consequences of their crimes against women, it can only mean that women are not being taken seriously. But with Weinstein awaiting sentencing, this is the moment when the movement for women’s equality can no longer be shrugged off. From now on, our existence is incontrovertible.
There is no denying that this is something to celebrate. But it’s not the endgame; we are only starting out. There are still many men in Hollywood whose careers are completely unscathed by the terrible things they have done.
At the César Awards in Paris, Portrait of a Lady on Fire star, Adèle Haenel walked out in response to Roman Polanski winning Best Director. Haenel has been at the centre of France’s #MeToo movement after coming forward with her story of being sexually harassed by French director Christophe Ruggia from the age of 12. She left the awards ceremony exclaiming “bravo la pédophilie”.
The nominations for Polanski’s film sparked outrage as a result of his pleading guilty to having sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl back in 1978, alongside accusations from French actor Valentine Monnier that Polanski had raped her at a ski chalet in Switzerland in 1975.
If Weinstein’s conviction represents a big step forward, critical acclaim for Polanski feels like two steps back. Hopefully it is only a momentary setback from an arts institution which must be something of a throwback. I am convinced that the first is not the last we’ll see of powerful men getting their comeuppance for the terrible crimes they committed against women.
“METOO” by Gipuzkoako Foru Aldundia 2015-2019 is licensed under CC BY-SA
