French Director Christophe Ruggia Sentenced in Adèle Haenel Sexual Assault Case

by

In a high-profile #MeToo incident within the French film industry, director Christophe Ruggia has been convicted for sexually assaulting actress Adèle Haenel from the movie “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” Ruggia was sentenced to serve a two-year term in house arrest with an electronic monitoring device and also received a concurrent two-year suspended sentence.

The prosecution proposed a five-year jail term, with an additional three years on probation. However, Ruggia’s legal team deemed this verdict as unjustified and announced their intention to file an appeal.

In 2019, Haenel initially made her sexual assault accusations against Ruggia during an interview with French investigative site Mediapart. She claimed that the director had subjected her to sexual assault and molestation for a period of three years starting when she was just 12 and he was 36. Notably, Ruggia directed Haenel in his 2001 film titled “The Devils“, where she played the lead role. This film portrayed a story about a brother and sister engaging in incest, with explicit nudity and sex scenes featuring the young actors.

The court found that you exploited your position of power over the young actress, as evidenced by testimonies from other adults on the set of “The Devils,” who expressed discomfort about your inappropriate conduct toward Haenel.

Ruggia denied the accusations.

During the court proceedings, the actress found it hard to suppress her anger towards Ruggia. At one instance, she exclaimed at him to “stop talking!” when the director testified, asserting that Ruggia had attempted to safeguard her as a young girl and offered guidance on how to dodge harassment in school.

Back when I was part of the gaming world, speaking up about harassment wasn’t always easy. Just like Haenel, I found myself among the first to share my story during the rise of the #MeToo movement. Unfortunately, unlike the supportive response I hoped for, there was barely any public backing from the gaming community at large. It felt isolating and disheartening, but I persevered because change doesn’t come without challenges.

2020 saw actress Louane Emeric exiting the 45th César Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, in protest. The occasion for her departure was Roman Polanski being honored with the Best Director award for his film “An Officer and a Spy“, despite Polanski’s past as a fugitive from U.S. justice due to a sexual assault on a minor in the 1970s, and numerous other sexual assault accusations, which he denies. Screaming “Shame!”, Emeric departed, with her director of “Portrait of a Lady“, Céline Sciamma, following suit. In 2023, Emeric announced her decision to step away from cinema, expressing dissatisfaction with the French industry’s lack of action and apathy towards the #MeToo movement as her primary reason for retiring.

Over the past period, the French industrial sector has shifted its stance in response to a series of accusations. These allegations range from actress Judith Godrèche’s claims against film directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon, to numerous assault and misconduct charges leveled against renowned actor Gerard Depardieu. Most recently, the president of the National Film Board (CNC), Dominique Boutonnat, was sentenced for sexually assaulting his godson.

The César Academy has lately modified its regulations, stripping memberships of voting privileges and disallowing nominations for individuals under investigation for violent crimes, specifically those involving sexual misconduct, from receiving any awards in the film industry.

Read More

2025-02-03 18:54