Pallade Veneta - French director accused of abusing actor Haenel goes on trial

Christophe Ruggia is accused of sexually assaulting the star of "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" for three years in the early 2000s, when she was between 12 and 14 and he was in his 30s.

Haenel, 35, was the first prominent actor to speak out against "complacency" towards sexual abuse in the French film industry.

Ruggia, 59, once a leader of the French directors' union, has denied all the charges, although he admits to committing "errors".

A visibly nervous Haenel paced back and forth before taking a seat opposite Ruggia in the packed court.

Ruggia tried to avoid meeting Haenel's gaze.

Before the start of the trial, around 50 people, the vast majority of them women, gathered outside the court, chanting: "Adele, we believe you. Rapists we see you".

Some of the placards read "Thank you, Adele" and "Adele, you're not alone".

Haenel, who has left the film industry, was due to testify at around 6:00 pm (1700 GMT).

Presiding judge Gilles Fonrouge began by outlining the charges against Ruggia.

If found guilty of sexually assaulting a minor, Ruggia faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of 150,000 euros ($159,000).

- 'It's not right' -

In 2019, Haenel went public with a description of the sexual assaults she alleged she had suffered at the hands of Ruggia.

She accused the director of subjecting her to "constant sexual harassment" from the age of 12 to 14, including "forced kisses on the neck" and touching.

Ruggia directed Haenel in the 2002 movie "The Devils", a tale of an incestuous relationship between a boy and his autistic sister, who had been abandoned by their mother.

It was her first film role and she was 12.

The film contains sex scenes between the children and close-ups of Haenel's naked body.

Excerpts were due to be shown at the trial.

The actor told investigators about sequences that made her feel "very uncomfortable" and others that were "violent".

Members of the crew told investigators of their "unease" with Ruggia's behaviour towards the young actor on set, calling it "invasive" and "inappropriate".

"It's not right. They look like a couple," said one of the director's assistants.

- 'He would breathe hard' -

Between 2001 and 2004, the teenager went to see the man who told her he had "created" her nearly every Saturday.

She accused him of finding a pretext to get close to her during the encounters at his home.

She alleged that he caressed her thighs, then touched her genitals and breasts.

"He would breathe hard" and "kiss me on the neck", she said.

While Ruggia has denied he molested Haenel, he has alluded to what he said was the 12-year-old's "sensuality" and admitted "playing the Pygmalion".

He has struggled to explain what they did for hours during their meetings, recalling that he used to give her "a snack" before taking her home to her parents.

Haenel's accusations stunned the French film industry, which had been slower than Hollywood to react to the #MeToo movement.

In 2020, Haenel stormed out of the industry's Cesars award ceremony in protest against a prize being awarded to veteran director Roman Polanski, who is wanted by the United States over statutory rape allegations.

The actor, who has won two Cesars -- the French equivalent of an Oscar -- said she was leaving the industry last year over what she called its complacency towards sexual predators.

Cinema legend Gerard Depardieu, 75, is to stand trial in March accused of sexually assaulting two women.

Depardieu also risks a second trial after he was charged in 2020 with the rape of an actor in 2018 when she was 22 and anorexic.

Her denies all the accusations.

Actor Judith Godreche said this year two French directors -- Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon -- had sexually abused her when she was a teenager. Both deny the charges.

N.Tartaglione--PV