French police detain leading filmmakers Jacquot, Doillon over sexual abuse allegations
Leading French film directors Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon, who have been accused by actress and director Judith Godrèche of rape and sexual assault respectively when she was a minor, were detained on Monday by French authorities for questioning. Godrèche, a leading voice in France's #MeToo movement, wrote on social media that she was deeply moved that police had finally summoned the two directors.
French authorities detained Monday two 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 interrogations over the alleged abuse, some dating back to the 1980s and all of which they deny, comes as activists say French cinema has too long provided cover for abuse.
An AFP journalist saw Jacquot, 77, and Doillon, 80, arrive at a Paris police station on Monday morning accompanied by their lawyers.
Judicial sources said they could be held until Tuesday evening, and potentially be questioned in the presence of their accusers.
She has described Jacquot as having had an unhealthy "hold" over her during a relationship of "perversion" with him that started when she was 14, from 1986 to 1992.
Several other actors have also filed complaints against both men.
"I'm crying," she wrote.
Read more on FRANCE 24 English
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