The outcry ultimately resulted in the entire Board Of Directors for the Cesars resigning in mid-February, and even the Minister of Culture in France issued a statement, per CNN, saying a Polanski win for directing would send a negative message but that voters should separate the art and the artist in other categories like Best Film since so many people worked on the movie.
As the MeToo movement has pushed sex crimes to the forefront of public conversation, the controversy surrounding him has gotten louder and louder.
After An Officer And A Spy picked up 12 Cesar nominations, many in France started pushing to reform how voting is done and even who is eligible to vote.
He was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2018.