On February 3rd, local time, the Paris court ruled that director Christophe Ruggia was guilty of sexually assaulting actress Adèle Haenel. The 60-year-old director was sentenced to four years in prison, but he did not have to go to jail because two of the four years were suspended and the other two years were house arrest, but he had to wear electronic shackles and was not allowed to leave his home.
Christopher Lukia
Adele Haenel, 35, became internationally famous in 2019 for starring in the film "Portrait of a Lady on Fire", but she actually entered the industry very early. At the age of 13, she starred in the film "Child of the Devil", directed by Christophe Lukia, who was 36 years old at the time. The film tells the story of a pair of siblings who ran away from an orphanage and depended on each other for survival. Haenel had many nude and erotic scenes in the film, even though she was not yet an adult at the time.
Adèle Haenel outside the court as some supporters hold signs reading "Thank you, Adèle" in support of the actress
In 2019, Adèle Haenel wrote to the media, revealing that during the filming of the film and for a period of time afterwards, director Lukia had sexually assaulted and harassed her for a long time, including "touching her thighs and body" and "forcibly kissing her neck", etc. This situation lasted until she was 15 years old. Lukia, who has long served as the president of the French Directors Association due to his enthusiasm for public welfare, denied the accusation, but was eventually expelled from the Directors Association. Later, the French judicial department officially opened an investigation into the matter. After more than five years of twists and turns, it finally came to a conclusion this week.
Lukia's lawyer said he would appeal the four-year sentence. In addition to the sentence, the court also ordered Lukia to pay Hanel 15,000 euros in mental damages and 20,000 euros in psychological counseling fees.
During the previous trial, Hanel suppressed his embarrassment and recounted the process of his injury that year. "I was sitting on the sofa, and he would stick his nose in, put his hand inside my T-shirt, and tell me, 'Honey, you are so interesting.'"
Lukia denied Hanel's accusation in court, insisting that she had never been attracted to her, and that she was now accused of sexual assault simply because she was retaliating against him for not wanting to film with her again, "plus, there was already an anti-sexual assault movement in the United States at the time, and France was also going to follow suit, so it just happened to fall on me." In the face of the defendant's various sophistry and denials, Hanel, who could no longer bear it, finally slammed the table and shouted "Shut your stinky mouth" in the court, then turned around and left angrily, causing the trial to be suspended for a while.
Stills from "Devil's Child"
Stills from Portrait of a Lady on Fire
According to French media, this move is reminiscent of the scene at the 2020 French Film Cesar Awards when Haenel suddenly stood up and left to protest Roman Polanski's winning of the Best Director Award. Her resolute approach immediately made her a leader in the anti-sexual assault movement in the French film industry. After that, Haenel, who had a promising future in the film and television industry, chose to withdraw and never starred in any film again. In the past few years, in addition to occasionally appearing in stage plays, she has been very interested in left-wing ideas since she was a child, and has actively participated in various social movements and spoken for various vulnerable groups.
After that, the French film industry officially launched an anti-sexual assault movement, and several famous actors and directors were successively arrested, including actress Judith Godrech accusing directors Benoit Jacques and Jacques Doillon of sexual assault, and Gerard Depardieu was accused of sexual assault. It is believed that the court's verdict on Lukia will, to a certain extent, affect the trial of similar cases in the future.
