The entire board of the César Academy, which distributes France's equivalent of the Oscars, has resigned following backlash over nominations for a film by Roman Polanski and demands for reform.
Polanski's An Officer and a Spy swept the nomination list for the César awards, sparking calls for a boycott.
The Polish-French director has been wanted in the US for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl since the 1970s.
Hundreds of actors, producers and directors have also called for change.
In an open letter this week, they denounced "dysfunction" at the César Academy and opacity in its management.
In a statement on Thursday night, the academy said the board had "unanimously decided to resign" to "honour those men and women who made cinema happen in 2019, to find calm and ensure that the festival of film remains just that, a festival".
"This collective decision will allow complete renewal of the board," it added.
A general meeting is set to be held after this month's ceremony to elect a new board, which will look at implementing reforms and modernising the institution.
Culture Minister Franck Riester said the César Academy must operate democratically, in the spirit of "openness, transparency, parity and diversity".
What's the background?
The César Academy has faced controversy in recent months.
Many called for a boycott when Polanski's film An Officer and a Spy, or J'accuse in French, received 12 award nominations. The Polish-French director fled the US after his rape conviction in the 1970s, and has since faced other accusations of sexual assault.
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"I am shocked. The 400 cinema professionals who voted for this nomination have applauded Polanski with 12 nominations – 12 is also the number of women today who accuse Roman Polanski of rape. This is not the field of morality, this is the field of justice," Céline Piques, spokeswoman for French feminist organisation Osez le Féminisme (Dare to be Feminist) told French TV channel LCI at the time.
France's equality minister and film critics also condemned the decision to nominate Polanski's fRead More – Source
