#MeToo cinema: director Christophe Ruggia to be tried for sexual assault on a minor in the Adèle Haenel case – Cinema News

In November 2019, actress Adèle Haenel caused an earthquake by accusing Christophe Ruggia, director of her first film, Les Diables, of “groping” and “sexual harassment”.

The first French actress to denounce acts of pedophilia, Adèle Haenel thus broke a taboo, and opened a flood of reactions and words. 5 years later, AFP informs us that the director will be tried on December 9 and 10 before the Paris Criminal Court for sexual assault on a minor.

In her referral order, the investigating judge in charge of the case referred to the complaints “in a detailed, constant and precise manner of the actress, her state of shock at the time of the events, the psychological repercussions of the attacks, the significant age difference between the two protagonists and the occurrence of a progressive psychological constraint imposed by the director, the first to have had her appear in the film Les Diables in 2002.”

The magistrate therefore considered two aggravating circumstances: the actress's minority at the time of the events and the filmmaker's position of authority. “Christophe Ruggia contested all the facts reported by the civil party throughout the proceedings.” Note that the filmmaker's lawyers, Fanny Colin and Orly Rezlan, did not wish to comment.

“Adèle Haenel will only speak via a press release at this stage of the procedure, which is an important step”said his advisers, Anouck Michelin and Yann Le Bras. Furthermore, according to Le Monde, “The investigating judge ordered a dismissal of the charges for the sexual assaults reported by the actress during festivals in Japan in June 2002 and in Morocco in September 2002. The period from January to the end of August 2001 is also excluded from prosecution.”