The French film industry has been branded ‘racist’ after it banned black actors from dubbing white stars in Gallic versions of English-language movies.
An investigation revealed that casting directors regularly expelled black applicants in the belief that they had a distinctive tone of voice unsuitable for dubbing white parts. The findings come amid claims that the failure to promote black stars in films and other media is contributing to a wider segregation in French society.
The Higher Authority for the Fight Against Discrimination and for Equality, France’s equivalent of the Commission for Racial Equality, said that double standards were widespread within the French industry.
The investigation revealed that white actors were deemed to have ‘universal’ voices able to dub black actors such as Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman. Meanwhile, black artists were victims of ‘prejudice and stereotypes’, and were hardly ever chosen to dub white stars.
The investigation was conducted after black actress/singer Yasmine Modestine complained she had been the victimised when she was excluded from dubbing a white star in a US television series.
