Cannes Film Festival: Actor dismissed after accusations of sexual violence, an unprecedented decision

On the legal front, and according to Télérama, the actor was the target of a complaint from three former partners for "rape, physical and moral violence" in the private sphere, "in 2018, 2019 and 2020," at least four years before filming. This complaint was dismissed in April 2025 for "insufficiently characterized offense" but "the three plaintiffs indicated their intention to file an appeal by constituting themselves as civil parties," states Télérama.

Contacted by the magazine, Théo Navarro-Mussy recalled that the courts have, "at this stage, cleared him of any wrongdoing." "I have received no information that any proceedings are continuing. This proposed complaint with civil action has not been formally recorded in the courts, to my knowledge," commented the actor's lawyer, Maître Pouzet-Gagliardi.

“Act on a case-by-case basis”

The Cannes Film Festival's general delegate, to whom the matter was referred by the Actors' Association, justified his decision by stating that "the proceedings remain ongoing." "It is because there is an appeal and therefore a continuation of the investigation that the case is not subject to suspensive effect. When justice is finally delivered, things become different," Thierry Frémaux explained in Télérama.