Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillion French filmmakers have both been detained and are being questioned by the police over accusations of sexual assault made by actress Judith Godrèche, who filed complaints against the pair in February this year.
According to French media, both men have been questioned at the Paris branch of France’s Brigade for the Protection of Minors.
Both men have denied the accusations, which were made when Godrèche opened up about her experiences of sexual abuse in the French cinema industry as a teenager.
Jacques Doillon’s lawyer, Marie Dose, said no legal criteria could justify his being detained for questioning “36 years” after the alleged incident.
Under French law, an individual can be held in police custody for up to 48 hours.
Earlier this year, Ms Godrèche, 51, filed a complaint against Benoît Jacquot, 77, accusing him of rape in 1986, when she was 14.
She claimed that he had an unhealthy “hold” over her during a relationship that lasted into the 1990s.
She also accused Jacques Doillon of sexual assault while on set when she acted in one of his films.
The accusations prompted a joint investigation in February
Reacting to the custody measure in a post on Instagram, she posted a picture of herself as a teenager next to Benoît Jacquot, with the caption: “I’m crying… From all this… I don’t know if I have the strength but I will have it. I will have it… For her.”
In the early part of her career, Judith Godrèche was known for her roles in two films made by Benoît Jacquot, The Beggars (1987) and The Disenchanted (1990).
He has been directing since the mid-1970s with his drama Farewell, My Queen opening the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival.
Ms Godréche starred in Jacques Dillion’s 1989 film, The 15-Year-Old Girl, which was entered into the Moscow International Film Festival. His more recent films include Rodin and You, Me and Us.
Since breaking her silence, Godreche has become a leading voice in France’s #MeToo movement.
