Blue Is the Warmest Color director Abdellatif Kechiche has been accused of sexual assault, according to a report Wednesday in French media cited by The Hollywood Reporter. An unnamed 29-year-old actress claims that after she went to dinner with Kechiche on June 23 and drank with him and his friend, she blacked out. When she woke up, she said, her pants were open and Kechiche was allegedly fondling her. She first filed a complaint on Oct. 6, and the case is reported to be under preliminary investigation by the Paris prosecutor’s office. Kechiche’s lawyer said in a statement that he “categorically denies the veracity of these accusations.” The Hollywood Reporter notes the charges against Kechiche mark the third high-profile sexual-assault case now under investigation in France, as director Luc Besson and actor Gerard Depardieu remain under scrutiny.
