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The French-Polish director's latest movie, 'An
Officer and a Spy', was a box office hit in France and received
12 nominations, including best film and best director, for an
award at France's equivalent of the Oscars.
Polanski, 86, who fled the United States to France in the late
1970s after admitting raping a 13-year-old girl and faces more
recent allegations of sexual assault, has said he will not
attend the ceremony, fearing a "public lynching".
"It would send a bad message," Riester told franceinfo radio
when asked about the prospect of Polanski scooping best
director.
Polanski's nominations have split opinion in France, a country
where the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment has
struggled to gain traction.
The management of the Cesar Academy resigned en masse in
February after Polanski's film about the persecution of French
Jewish army officer, Alfred Dreyfus, in the 1890s, emerged as a
favorite to win best movie.
Gender equality minister Marlene Schiappa said French cinema had
not "fully come to terms" with the #MeToo revolution.
Adele Haenel, who in late 2019 said she had been abused by
another director as a child, told the New York Times that France
had "missed the boat" on #MeToo and criticized the Cesar Awards
for honoring Polanski.
"Distinguishing Polanski is spitting in the face of all victims.
It means raping women isn't that bad."
Polanski said on Thursday he would not attend the ceremony,
which feminist protest groups plan to target, to protect himself
and his family.
"Activists are already threatening me with a public lynching,"
Polanski said in a statement.
French photographer Valentine Monnier last year accused Polanski
of raping her in 1975 when she was an 18-year-old model and
actress. Polanski has denied the accusation.
Critics of the #MeToo movement in France say it is puritanical
and fueled by a hated of men.
Ahead of the Cesars, former French film star Brigitte Bardot
rallied support for Polanski.
"We should be thankful that Polanski is alive and saving French
cinema from mediocrity," Bardot said on Twitter. "I judge him by
his talent, not his private life."
(Reporting by Richard Lough; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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