Bruno Barde, the longtime artistic director of the Deauville American Film Festival, has been suspended in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations reported on June 13 in the French magazine Mediapart.
Hopscotch, the international communication group behind the Deauville Film Festival, preempted the publication of Mediapart’s investigative piece and released a statement saying they were suspending Barde immediately, and had hired an independent consultancy group to conduct an internal investigation. No formal police complaints have been filed against Barde, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.
The Mediapart article cites anonymous testimonies of seven former employees of the Public Systeme Cinema who report alleged acts of sexual misconduct that would have happened between 2014 and 2023. These include inappropriate comments and gestures such as an attempted kiss, and touching someone’s back and neck. Barde denies the accusations of sexual misconduct, but admits complimenting some employees, and having a “latin temperament.”
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