Dominique Boutonnat, president of France's National Cinema Centre (CNC), has been taken into police custody on suspicion of sexual assault and attempted rape, reports The Hollywood Reporter, citing news agency AFP.
The film exec was reportedly arrested following a complaint from his 22-year-old godson, who filed a complaint in October relating to an incident in August 2020.
According to the AFP report, Boutonnat disputed the accusations, while the prosecutor's office said it wasn't aware of any other complaints concerning him at this stage.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to the CNC for comment.
Boutonnat was named president of the National Film Board in 2019, an appointment that provoked widespread protest from French producers and filmmakers who believed he was too close to French President Emmanuel Macron. The likes of Jacques Audiard, Emmanuelle Bercot, Michel Hazanavicius, Arnaud Desplechin and Bertrand Tavernier were among a list of names who signed a letter to Macron saying that they opposed Boutonnat's nomination.
Prior to this, as a film executive, Boutonnat was an associate producer on films such as Two Days in Paris, Polisse, and The Intouchables.
In response to his arrest, activist group 50/50 Collective put out a press release on Twitter calling for Boutonnat's CNC presidency to be withdrawn until his case is judged by the proper authorities.