A French film director accused of abusing actress Adèle Haenel will go on trial
Written by Juliette Jabkhiro
PARIS (Reuters) – French film director Christophe Ruggia went on trial on Monday for allegedly sexually abusing actress Adèle Haenel when she was a child, in one of the first #MeToo cases to emerge from French cinema.
Haenel, an award-winning actress in movies such as “Portrait of a Lady On Fire”, accused Ruggia of repeatedly touching her inappropriately after they met on the set of “The Devils” in 2001 when she was 12 and -36.
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She first publicly accused him in 2019 of unfairly controlling her, alienating her from her family and crew, while forcing her and co-star Vincent Rottiers to film disturbing scenes they were uncomfortable with.
Ruggia denies the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and a 150,000-euro ($158,000) fine. His lawyer, Fanny Colin, declined to comment to Reuters.
Haenel has become the first famous face of the #MeToo movement in France, where the movement has received a more heated reaction than in the United States. He recently retired from the film industry, citing comfort with sex workers still in the business.
A lawyer for Haenel did not respond to a request for comment by Reuters.
Ruggia is not the first man in French cinema to face charges for his behavior on set. Gerard Depardieu, one of France’s leading actors, will appear in court next year on charges of sexually assaulting two women in a film shot in 2021.
Haenel accuses Ruggia of abusing her from age 12 to 15, during and after the filming of “The Devils,” which tells the story of two abandoned brothers looking for their home.
He told investigators that he used to go to Ruggia’s house, where he would touch her between her legs and fondle her chest. He said his actions were affecting his schoolwork, and had also fueled suicidal thoughts.
“Christophe told me he was in love with me and the age difference was a curse for him and unfortunately I was an adult in a child’s body,” she told police.
The trial is expected to last two days.
($1 = 0.9480 euros)
(Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro, Writing by Gabriel Stargardter, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
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