“It is not up to me to judge, punish or condemn, but the presence of Ibrahim Maalouf was becoming more and more problematic for the smooth, peaceful running of a festival celebrating its 50th anniversary, which is also my first edition and which I want to carry with clarity and transparency,” said the new director of the Deauville American Film Festival, Aude Hesbert, in a newspaper interview ahead of this September 6 to 15 edition.
Aude Hesbert was referring to the case for which Ibrahim Maalouf was acquitted in 2020, accused three years ago of sexual assault on a minor. The context is also difficult, since Aude Hesbert took over the head of the festival from Bruno Barde, who backed down after accusations of sexual assault in Mediapart.
Complaint filed
Ibrahim Maalouf has decided to file a complaint, his lawyer announced. “The Deauville Festival sacrifices an innocent person on the altar of the supreme principle + the show must go on + for commercial interests,” lamented his lawyer, Me Fanny Colin, in a message sent on Saturday evening. “The festival asked Ibrahim Maalouf to + quietly withdraw +, which he obviously refused,” she added. “In fact, omitting that acquitted and publicly recognized as innocent, as publicly and before the courts of law will fight against this unfair and dishonorable eviction for its perpetrators.”