Asia Argento, the Italian actress and director who was one of the first to accuse disgraced Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, delivered a blistering speech during the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday in which she rebuked the film industry for enabling him.

鈥淚n 1997, I was raped by Harvey Weinstein here at Cannes. I was 21 years old,鈥� Argento said, standing beside American film director Ava DuVernay. 鈥淭he festival was his hunting ground.鈥�

In a fiery and powerful speech that brought the audience to stunned silence, Argento said that some members of the audience had 鈥渃overed up鈥� Weinstein鈥檚 crimes.

And she had a terse warning for those in the auditorium who have not yet faced a similar reckoning for their own actions.

鈥淓ven tonight, sitting among you, there are those who still have to be held accountable for their conduct against women for behaviour that does not belong in this industry, does not belong in any industry or workplace,鈥� Argento said. 鈥淵ou know who you are. But most importantly, we know who you are. And we鈥檙e not going to allow you to get away with it any longer.鈥�

Weinstein responded to the speech through a statement from his lawyer that described Argento鈥檚 allegations as 鈥渃ompletely false.鈥�

鈥淢r. Weinstein had a consensual relationship with Ms. Argento, and she starred in Mr. Weinstein鈥檚 film B. Monkey in 1998, in which Argento was excellent, and she herself said was a fantastic role for her. After that, she wrote a script for Mr. Weinstein about Italian director Vittorio De Sica that he wishes could have been produced,鈥� the statement said. 鈥淭his is clearly a painful time for Ms. Argento, but it is a false narrative. Mr. Weinstein only wishes Ms. Argento well.鈥�

Weinstein is fighting allegations of sexual misconduct made by dozens of other women besides Argento. He has denied all accusations of nonconsensual sex.