France’s Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques, the group behind the country’s national film awards, the Césars, is quitting X.
In an announcement on Monday, the César Academy said it had deleted its account on the platform, noting that the public positions taken by owner Elon Musk means X “no longer corresponds” to the Academy’s stated values.
“The Academy’s mission is to promote cinema in all its diversity,” read the statement. “It supports all forms of artistic expression, without distinction of origin or identity of those who contribute to the creation or distribution of films. The César Academy believes that the X platform, particularly due to the actions and stances of its leader, no longer aligns with its values. Therefore, it is withdrawing from the platform effective immediately.”
The César Academy’s decision to ditch X follows a similar exit by the Berlin Film Festival last November, though Berlin did not explicitly say it was Musk’s politics that prompted the move. Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera also publicly quit X last year, noting that he had “definitely lost the desire (already weakened) to remain on a platform, the objectives and purposes of which I no longer share,” a clear reference to the platform’s political shift under Musk’s leadership.
The tech billionaire has used the social media platform to actively support far-right groups in Europe and attack more mainstream government leaders. On Sunday, Musk took part in the official campaign kickoff for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party — a group that has called for the “reimmigration” of ethnic minorities, including German citizens, to their “countries of origin” — joining the event via live video link.
The decision to leave X follows the César Academy’s move last week to suspend any member currently under investigation for sexual violence. The organization has been implementing #MeToo measures to prevent and address misconduct within the French film industry, spurned on by public outrage over public #MeToo allegations, including multiple charges of assault and misconduct filed against French star Gerard Depardieu and the sentencing of Dominique Boutonnat, the president of the National Film Board (CNC), to three years for sexual assault of his godson.
The 50th César Awards take place in Paris on Feb. 28.
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