Paris, France—French authorities Monday detained leading arthouse film directors Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon for questioning over accusations of sexual abuse, as a renewed #MeToo reckoning rocks France’s film industry.
Their interrogation over the alleged abuse, some dating back to the 1980s and all of which they deny, comes as activists say cinema has too long provided cover for abuse.
An Agence France Presse (AFP) journalist saw Jacquot, 77, and Doillon, 80, arrive at a Paris police station on Monday morning accompanied by their lawyers.
Judith Godreche, a 52-year-old actor and director, earlier this year formally accused Jacquot of rape and Doillon of sexual assault when she was a minor, accusations both men deny.
She has described Jacquot as having had an unhealthy “hold” over her during a relationship with him that started when she was 14, from 1986 to 1992.
And she has accused Doillon of groping her during an unplanned sex scene in one of his films when she was 15.
Several other actors have also filed complaints against both men.
Isild Le Besco, 41, has alleged Jacquot raped her between 1998 and 2007 during a toxic relationship that started when she was 16 and he was 52.
Julia Roy, a 34-year-old actor who has appeared in several of his films, has accused him of sexual assault in “a context of violence and moral constraint which lasted several years,” a source close to the case said.
Le Besco has also charged Doillon made advances during work sessions, while actor Anna Mouglalis alleged the filmmaker forcefully kissed her in 2011.
The directors’ lawyers said there had been no need to detain them in order to question them, and stressed they should be considered innocent until proven guilty.