An investigation was opened following a complaint from actor Francis Renaud for sexual harassment against film director André Téchiné, the Evreux public prosecutor’s office announced on Sunday March 3.
The actor Francis Renaud, aged 56, “filed a complaint against Mr. Téchiné for sexual harassment, against [le directeur de casting Gérard] Moulevrier for sexual assault, and against X for death threats”declared to Agence France-Presse the public prosecutor of Evreux, Rémi Coutin. “I have asked the police to open an investigation, without retaining a precise criminal classification for the moment because the hearing of Mr. Renaud calls for me to exercise the greatest caution for the moment”he clarified.
During “river hearing” at the Vernon police station, in Eure, Mr. Renaud filed a complaint against Mr. Téchiné for “stroking his hand and telling him that he was troubled”according to Mr. Coutin. “If that was all there was, [ce n’est] not likely to be classified as sexual harassment”underlined the magistrate, who called not to “to cast shame” about the filmmaker “on the basis of these facts alone (…), insufficiently precise ». “At first glance, the facts that Francis Renaud denounces are all prescribed because of their age”he added.
Concerning the complaint for sexual assault against Mr. Moulevrier, the actor “speaks of facts which could perhaps be qualified as sexual assault, he speaks of caresses in particular of his penis through clothing”There is “twenty or twenty-five years”, he said. There also arises “the question of possible prescription”.
A second hearing of the complainant requested
“It seems to me at this stage difficult to envisage with certainty the criminal qualifications” for the investigation, concluded Mr. Coutin, who said he requested a second hearing of the complainant by the police. If the investigation continues, the Evreux public prosecutor’s office will relinquish it in favor of the Paris public prosecutor’s office, the facts having “all produced in Paris or the Paris region”.
Francis Renaud accused Mr. Téchiné on Friday on sexual, launched in particular by the actress Judith Godrèche. According to the actor, Mr. Téchiné « fun[é] like the devil who enjoys destroying lives”. “I was blacklisted by the cinema”he added in a video.
Director of around thirty eclectic films, André Téchiné, aged 80, has been described as “giant of French cinema” during the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.