UPDATE: Quebec’s film industry has decided to withdraw the name of alleged pedophile Claude Jutra from its annual awards show.
Quebec Cinema made the announcement at a news conference in Montreal a few hours after Culture Minister Helene David asked the organization to consider yanking Jutra’s name from the awards, which honour the best in Quebec cinema.
A biography released this week said Jutra slept with young boys, while Montreal La Presse quoted a man Wednesday as saying the late filmmaker began touching him when he was six years old and that the abuse escalated over a 10-year period.
Jutra died in 1986.
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ORIGINAL STORY: Quebec’s culture minister is asking the province’s film industry to withdraw Claude Jutra‘s name from its annual awards show amid allegations he slept with young boys.
Hélène David is also seeking a list of all the places in Quebec that bear his name so municipalities can decide whether to keep them.
David’s comments Wednesday morning come after La Presse quoted a man as saying Jutra began touching him when he was six-years-old and that the abuse escalated over a 10-year period.
READ MORE: Claude Jutra, Quebec movie director, accused of sex with young boys
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre also announced the city would move to withdraw Jutra’s name from various locations.
A biography released Tuesday said Jutra had a penchant for sleeping with young boys.
Jutra committed suicide in 1986 after battling Alzheimer’s disease.
The Jutra Awards, which recognize the best in Quebec cinema, have been named after him for nearly 20 years.
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