French director Ruggia faces trial in landmark #MeToo case

In 2019, French actress Adèle Haenel revealed to journalists from the independent platform Mediapart her unhealthy relationship with director Christophe Ruggia. "I always sat on the couch, and he sat in a chair opposite me. Then he would move close to me and start sticking to me. He kissed my neck, sniffed my hair, caressed my thigh, and slowly moved his hand towards my crotch. He would start putting his hand under my shirt, looking for my breasts. He was excited, I pushed him away, but it wasn't enough, I always had to move. When I didn't agree to sex, he would get angry," she publicly confessed.

Adèle was only 12 years old when her relationship with Ruggia began—a director already recognised then. She acted in his controversial film "The Devils," which depicted the story of incestuous love among teenagers. "He often touched her, kissed her (…). I told myself that this is not a relationship an adult should have with a child; it worried me. Ruggia when prepping the scenes, kept me away from the children," commented actress Hélène Seretti, who looked after the film's young stars.

An investigation by journalists disclosed that Ruggia manipulated children on the film set, crossing their boundaries. Many witnesses spoke about the inappropriate behaviour of the director towards 12-year-old Adèle. His then-partner also commented on the matter, attempting to confront him with the allegations made by Adèle Haenel. He did not deny it. He admitted that it hurt him when she left him. Let us remember, she was a minor.

In conversations with journalists, Adèle admitted that she had tried multiple times to inform colleagues in the industry about what was happening between her and the director, but each time she was told that Ruggia had done a lot for her and that without him she would be nobody. She eventually confided in the director of her second film, Céline Sciamma. The breakthrough occurred, however, in 2019, when a documentary about Michael Jackson surfaced. Shocked by this story, she decided she would speak about what she herself had experienced.

Ruggia initially denied the allegations of molestation. However, he later issued a statement claiming that it wasn't molestation but admiration. Adèle was supposed to have accused him because he refused her a role. When journalists from Mediapart published the article, the prosecution decided to initiate an investigation against the director. It did not take long. Ruggia was arrested, his apartment searched, and shortly after, he was charged with sexual assault on a minor.

Now, foreign media report the next stage of this scandalous case. In Paris, the trial against the director has commenced. Haenel claims that Ruggia molested her for three years, starting from the filming in 2001, when she was 12, and Ruggia was 36. The abuses allegedly continued during promotions and film festivals. Ruggia still denies the accusations.

As reported by the portal Deadline, the trial is seen as groundbreaking for the #MeToo movement in France. Haenel risked her career by revealing the allegations, as the country was not yet open to the #MeToo movement, and the actress did not receive broad support from the film industry. Today, supporters gathered outside the court with banners reading "Adèle, we believe you."

Adèle Haenel has quit acting. Her last role was in "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" in 2019. The film was nominated for the Golden Globes and won a special award at the Cannes Festival. Haenel could have continued her career successfully in the film industry, but she couldn't. In 2020, Haenel left the César Awards ceremony when Roman Polanski's win for Best Director for the film "An Officer and a Spy" was announced. This event was seen as an affront to the actress due to unresolved allegations against Polanski. In 2023, Haenel announced in an open letter that she was leaving the film industry due to the "general leniency" towards "sexual predators."