Patrick Sobelman, one of the two producers of the film "Les Amandiers", assured Friday that the production knew nothing of the alleged actions of Sofiane Bennacer before recruiting him.
The actor is indeed indicted for acts of rape and violence.
“At no time did the production know before hiring him and at no time did the production orchestrate the slightest omerta to ensure that nothing came out of this story”, assured the producer to France Inter.
“It was absolutely impossible to stop filming and fire Sofiane for a very simple reason.
We had no legal basis to do that,” he continued.
Read alsoSofane Bennacer case: the National Theater of Strasbourg, scene of the first accusations against the actor
What happened on the set of the film, presented in official competition at the Cannes Film Festival 2022?
According to the newspaper Liberation, which explains in its Friday edition that it interviewed around thirty people, including around fifteen professionals on the set, it took place in a climate of "omerta".
Accusations challenged by the producer: “We obeyed the rules imposed on us by the CNC to appoint referents for all questions relating to harassment in general.
We were on set every day.
Nothing reprehensible happened during the entire filming of the film.
“We learned it at the same time as everyone else”
“There may have been a complicated atmosphere for some because they found themselves in a situation that they had not wanted and that cast doubt, a shadow and since we learned of his indictment, there a month ago, that there were four different complaints, it's not the same thing, we didn't know and we learned it at the same time as everyone else”.
Revelation of the latest film by Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Sofiane Bennacer, 25, who claims her innocence, is the subject of several indictments.
Two for acts of rape on two ex-companions as well as a third “indictment for violence against a spouse”.
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As part of a fourth complaint filed by another ex-girlfriend who denounced acts of rape, Sofiane Bennacer was placed under the more favorable status of assisted witness.
The National Theater of Strasbourg (TNS), where he had been admitted, had seized the Ministry of Culture for acts of "sexist, sexual violence and harassment".
The ministry then made a report to the courts, said the prosecutor, without specifying the date.
Acclaimed by critics, the film “Les Amandiers” has achieved more than 100,000 admissions since its release on November 16.
