International Films
Spanton vs The French Police
France, 2022, 70 min
Director:
Ovidie
Language & Subtitles:
French; subtitles in Hebrew and English
Producers:
Marc Berdugo, Barbara Conforti
Production:
Festivals:
Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, CPH:DOX
Screenings:
In 2014, Canadian tourist Emily Spanton enters a bar in Paris. The events of that night have been covered and discussed in France repeatedly over the years that have passed since then: according to Spanton, she met a group of French policemen in a bar who brutally raped her, while the policemen for their part vehemently deny all accusations. The case soon reaches the media and goes through the courts.
The film presents the complainant's version, the defendants' version, and the stormy investigation and trial. From article to article, from conviction to acquittal, the dramatic turns that characterized the rape case in that bar in Paris changed the attitude towards rape victims in France, while illustrating the ongoing struggle of the #metoo movement.