Nine women have accused the French producer Alain Sarde of rape, sexual assault, and harassment, all incidents occurring during the 1980s and 1990s, according to an investigation cited by Europe Press that originated in Elle magazine.
Nine women stepped forward with allegations spanning decades, with most accusers at the time of the events described as young ambitions in acting. Many were in their twenties, and a few were even underage when the incidents supposedly took place. Sarde has produced a number of notable films, including The Pianist by Roman Polanski and Nelly and Mr. Arnaud, featuring Emmanuelle Béart in the lead role.
First-person accounts from the case include testimony from Annelise Hesme, who was 24 when she met Sarde in 2001 in hopes of securing a role in one of his films. Hesme stated that the producer instead offered a different proposition, inviting her to serve as an escort at one of his parties.
“He organized dinners with actors, directors, and distributors, explaining that he liked to have attractive, intelligent women at the table. Then he added that the arrangement was paid, and if there happened to be a guest she found appealing, she could earn more money for the night,” the accusation notes, reflecting Sarde’s stated attitude as he stands at 72 years old today.
She said he enjoyed having beautiful, clever women at the table.
This latest report aligns with Cannes festivities in France and accompanies a manifesto published by a hundred cinema figures, including many actresses, demanding in a column in Le Monde a comprehensive law addressing sexual violence.
“We are 100, but in truth we are hundreds of thousands. Our #MeToo voices have exposed a reality shrouded in denial: sexist and sexual violence is systemic, not isolated. Yet one case seems to haunt another, and who really hears us?” the column states.
Among the signatories are actresses Isabelle Adjani, Charlotte Arnould, Emmanuelle Béart, Juliette Binoche, Emma de Caunes, Judith Godrèche, Isild Le Besco, and Muriel Robin, as well as writers Leila Slimani, Christine Angot, and Vanessa Springora, and actor Philippe Torreton.