A prominent French film director has been handed preliminary charges of rape, sexual assault and violence by a French judge investigating a case involving female actors, the Paris prosecutor's office said Thursday.
Benoît Jacquot, who has more than 50 director credits in film and television stretching back to the 1970s, has become one of the most prominent figures in a belated reckoning within the French movie industry and beyond over sexual violence and physical abuse.
French actor Judith Godrèche, who alleges that Jacquot raped and physical abused her in a six-year relationship that began when she was 14 years old, has taken a lead role in kickstarting the #MeToo wave. The movement struggled for traction before she spoke out publicly earlier this year and emboldened other actors to do so.
The Paris prosecutor's office said the judge investigating allegations against Jacquot made by actor Isild Le Besco and another actor The More