Paris (AFP)

Actress Marion Cotillard on Tuesday expressed "infinite gratitude" to her sister Adele Haenel for breaking the silence with her accusations of "sexual harassment" against director Christophe Ruggia.

"Adèle, your courage is a gift of unparalleled generosity for women and men, for the young actresses and actors, for all the damaged beings who know now thanks to you that they do not have to undergo this violence And for those who have suffered, they can talk, they will be listened to and heard, "wrote Marion Cotillard on Instagram next to a photo of Adele Haenel.

"You break a silence so heavy, your testimony is of an incredible power, it resonates deeply," continues Marion Cotillard, Oscar for best actress for "La Môme".

In a long survey published Sunday by Mediapart, Adèle Haenel, 30, awarded two César including the best actress in 2015 for "Les Combattants", accuses Christophe Ruggia, with whom she shot her first film "The Devil", "touching" and "sexual harassment" when she was 12 to 15 years old.

The director has refuted through his lawyers these accusations. The Society of Film Directors (SRF), however announced Monday to have decided to remove it from its lists.

"Dear Adele, you make history, the story of this liberating revolution, our story and that of our children, I have infinite gratitude to you," Marion Cotillard concludes.

© 2019 AFP