The first major #MeToo case involving the French film industry has reached court, with director Christophe Rougia sitting in the dock accused of sexually abusing actress Adele Enel when she was a child.

Enel, 35, accuses 59-year-old Rougias of sexual assaults that took place in the early 2000s, when she was 12 to 14 years old and began with the filming of the movie Les Diables. That film by Ruggia, which offered Enelle her first film role, contained sexual scenes between minors and close-ups of the then 12-year-old girl’s naked body.

Enelle alleges that Rujia molested her by touching her genitals, breasts and thighs when she visited him – almost every Saturday – between 2001 and 2004, allegations he flatly denies.

Le procès de Christophe Ruggia s'est ouvert lundi au tribunal de Paris, en présence de l'actrice Adèle Haenel, devenue une figure du #Metoo français il y a cinq ans en accusant le réalisateur de l'avoir agressée sexuellement quand elle était mineure #AFPVertical ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/7jxcU393Nt

— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) December 9, 2024

Rujia’s former partner, Mona Assas, testified at the trial that the director had admitted he had made an “unfortunate gesture” to Enelle during one of her Saturday visits to his home. In particular, he admitted that he had grabbed her breast while they were watching a film together on the sofa and that he was “madly in love with her”. “His version of the story focuses on the restraint that caused him to pull his hand away,” the woman told the court.

The defendant’s sister also told the court that at the time of the alleged abuse, Rujia appeared to be guilty of something.

Yesterday, Enelle angrily lashed out at Rujia, shouting at him to “shut up” when he claimed she was trying to protect her from mocking comments from classmates at school because of the nude scenes in the film.

The actress left the courtroom in a rage, returning half an hour later with her lawyer.

The case has shocked the French entertainment industry, which is facing a wave of revelations of sexual abuse incidents. Enelle, who starred in the 2019 film Portrait of a Lady on Fire, was one of the first actresses in her country to directly accuse her country’s film industry of turning a blind eye to abuse.

The prosecutor at the trial asked that Rougias be placed under house arrest for two years with electronic monitoring. Her proposal also includes a three-year suspended sentence and that the director be placed on the sex offender list.

Enelle left the cinema in 2022, accusing the venue of covering up incidents of abuse. She was one of the first celebrities in France to strongly protest against Roman Polanski’s award at the 2020 César Awards, walking out of the ceremony.