Benoit Jacquot, 76, said cinema provided a 'cover' for the relationship when she was a teenager. PARIS: French authorities on 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.
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. 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.
Doillon's attorney, Marie Dose, said no legal criteria could justify his being detained for questioning"36 years" after the incident alleged by Godreche, adding he could have answered queries without being held in custody. The head of France's top cinema institution, Dominique Boutonnat, stepped down on Friday after he was convicted of sexually assaulting his godson in 2020.