A dozen actresses have accused the French director Philippe Lioret of sexual abuse and behavior inappropriate, such as forced kisses, in a new episode of revelations about structural machismo in French cinema, which in recent times has experienced an avalanche of cases.

Lioret, 68 years old and known for films such as ‘Je vais bien, ne t’en fais pas’ (2006), a box office hit with Mélanie Laurent, denies the actresses’ accusationsrevealed this Tuesday in an investigation by the public media FranceInfo.

One of the published testimonies, whichor have materialized in criminal complaintsbelongs to the actress Hélène Seuzaret, who during the auditions for the film ‘Toutes nos envies’ (2011) was summoned by Lioret to try out an intimate scene, on a Saturday alone.

“Once outside, while we were walking back to our respective vehicles, he tried to kiss me on the mouth. It wasn’t what I wanted at all,” shared the actress, who ultimately did not participate in the film and who remembers the situation as an abuse of power.

Another actress, who preferred to remain anonymous, recounts a similar episode at the auditions for that same film, in which an invitation to dinner alone from the director, who had induced her with flattery about her chances of getting a role, ended in a forced kiss.

“He probably wanted to know if I was ‘flexible’, if I was willing to do that to get a role,” the actress told FranceInfo. The actress selection process for ‘Toutes nos envies’, which took place in 2010, is the subject of a good part of the accusations revealed this Tuesday, but the journalistic investigation also includes testimonies that date back to the nineties, at the beginning of her career as director of Lioret.

The director, for his part, denied the accusations in statements to FranceInfo: “I have never had the feeling of trying to abuse anyone in my life.“. “That he tried to seduce is entirely possible. But he always stopped as soon as he faced a refusal,” his lawyer, Solange Doumic, added to the French media.

In recent months, French cinema has experienced a real rain of complaints and public accusations of cases of sexual assault, rape and abuse of power in the industry. Among the most shocking is the case of the actress Judith Godrechewhich revealed that directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon abused her in the late 1980s, when she was still a teenager.

Become one of the great ambassadors of this wave of French ‘Me Too’, Godrèche starred in an exciting speech of denunciation at the César awards gala at the end of February.

Another high profile case has been that of Gerard Depardieu, sued by five women and publicly accused for more than a fortnight since 2023. In addition, recordings have come to light about him that revealed blatantly rude and sexist behavior, including towards minor girls.