After the Liberation investigation published today, revealing new accusations against the actor of “Almond Trees”, Sofiane Bennacer, the director of the film Valeria Bruni Tedeschi speaks.
Following the revelations of Le Parisien and Liberation, director and screenwriter Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, who is directing the film Les Amandiers in which Sofiane Bennacer is accused of rape and violence, denounces a “media lynching”.
Sofiane Bennacer: two new accusations of rape and violence concerning the actor of Almond Trees
After the publication of the Liberation investigation, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi published a press release today, to read in full below (via theAFP).
“Today is the day against violence against women. I want to say first of all that I have an immense respect for the liberation of women’s speech and a very deep attachment to the fact that they can be heard..
I myself was abused as a child and I know the pain of not being taken seriously. I have children and it matters to me more than anything that they live in a society that hears them and protects them..
This does not prevent me from being amazed, on reading today’s Liberation newspaper, to see the treatment reserved for a young man who is the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation, with no respect for the people who work there and for the presumption of innocence.
I was artistically impressed by Sofiane Bennacer from the first second of my film’s casting and I wanted him to be the main actor despite rumors I was aware of.
My producers expressed fears and reluctance, but I told them that these rumors didn’t stop me and that I couldn’t consider making the film without him. They trusted me, in the respect they cultivate for the artistic choices of their directors. I thank them, and I take full responsibility for my choice.
Coadic Guirac / Bestimage Sofiane Bennacer and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Later we learned that a complaint had been filed. Filming having started, it was legally unthinkable for them to change actors. For my part, I had for a few months got to know Sofiane Bennacer in the work and in particular during the long period of rehearsals, and to be completely confident about her human qualities: when we film someone, we ” see » who we have in front of us.
I am indignant this morning that a newspaper like Liberation can trample the presumption of innocence to such an extent, shamefully show off this affair and put on the front page the photo of a young man with blood on his hand.
To this day everyone knows that he has not been judged, and such a process is, in my opinion, pure media lynching, a process far removed from a desire to inform in an objective and impartial manner. I would add that dozens and dozens of people invested themselves with passion and relentlessness in the film, and that this process is deeply disrespectful of all their marvelous work.“