Unifrance’s Daniela Elstner Takes a Stand, Filing Complaint Against Patrick Bruel for Sexual Assault and Attempted Rape
Daniela Elstner, managing director of the French cinema and TV export agency Unifrance, has lodged a police complaint against singer and actor Patrick Bruel, alleging attempted rape and sexual assault.
This complaint, filed on March 12, has garnered attention following a report by the French investigative news outlet Mediapart. The report outlined allegations from eight women who accuse Bruel of sexual violence spanning from 1992 to 2019.
Mediapart also disclosed that another complaint for rape has been submitted against Bruel, pertaining to an incident at the Dinard British Film Festival in 2012, when he served as the jury’s president. This case is currently under preliminary investigation at the public prosecutor’s office in Saint Malo, although the accuser has opted not to comment publicly.
Bruel’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, spoke to Mediapart, denying all allegations against his client. He asserted that Bruel “never overridden a refusal” and “never forced anyone into a sexual act or relationship.”
The extensive investigation by Mediapart correspondent Marine Turchi, known for covering high-profile MeToo cases in France, includes testimonies from six additional women whose interactions with Bruel occurred in the realms of cinema, music, and tennis, as well as in luxury spas.
During her interview, one woman, who was initially reluctant to disclose her alleged assailant’s identity, indicated that he was a prominent figure in the film industry.
Bruel, a well-known personality in France, has accumulated over 60 credits in film and television, with notable works including *Sabrina*, *The Best Is Yet To Come*, *A Bag of Marbles*, and *What’s In A Name?*.
This is not Bruel’s first encounter with allegations of sexual assault. In 2019, five women who worked as masseuses at various luxury spas across France accused him of sexual violence. While four of those women filed official complaints, the cases were dismissed due to insufficient evidence. One accuser shared with Mediapart her feelings of “deeply humiliated and hurt” after experiencing backlash from Bruel’s fans and having her allegations disregarded.
Elstner’s complaint involves an incident that she alleges occurred during Unifrance’s French Film Festival in Acapulco, Mexico, in 1997. At the time, she was a 26-year-old assistant at the state-supported organization, and Bruel was present as a star of a thriller titled *K*.
In her interview with Mediapart, Elstner accused Bruel of forcing himself on her while she was managing the logistics for the artists’ luggage. She described a harrowing encounter where Bruel ambushed her and assaulted her in a car reserved for VIPs.
“The artists were staying at the Las Brisas hotel, in bungalows scattered across a hillside. On the day of departure, I was collecting the artists’ hundred or so suitcases from the empty parking lot, as everyone was having lunch,” she recounted. “Patrick Bruel, with whom I hadn’t had any particular interaction during the festival, came up behind me without me seeing him and pushed me into his car—which was reserved for VIPs. In a matter of seconds, while I was working, I found myself in the car, doors closed, with a man who was jumping on me, forcibly kissing me, undressing me, touching my breasts and the rest of my body.”
Elstner recalled feeling “in a state of shock” during the ordeal. “I remember the Mexican driver’s smiles in the rearview mirror as I struggled, and Patrick Bruel’s words, which were more or less: ‘Who are you? Nobody will believe you. You’re nothing. Do you know who I am?’” she said. “That sentence affected me as much as the physical assault, because it was very clearly intended to tell me that I didn’t exist.”
Following the incident, Elstner managed to escape Bruel’s room after a struggle. She left Unifrance soon after, later building a career in international film sales before returning as managing director in 2019.
Elstner had previously shared with Wiseman in a 2017 interview that she confided in several senior colleagues about her experience, but her allegations were met with laughter. “That haunts you even more than the incident itself,” she reflected. “Few people cared.”
Elstner’s decision to file a formal complaint against Bruel stems from a long personal journey. Her lawyer, Jade Dousselin, revealed that Elstner recognized the significant implications of her actions. “She is aware that the statute of limitations has expired for the acts she is denouncing. It took her years to overcome this painful hurdle,” Dousselin noted, adding, “Her approach today is less about seeking condemnation than about seeking liberation.”
Elstner’s previous reluctance to disclose the name of her alleged attacker reflected the complex environment surrounding the MeToo movement in France. Many victims were hesitant to step forward, and those who did often faced inadequate support from the film industry.
Adèle Haenel, another prominent French actress, publicly accused director Christophe Ruggia of sexually assaulting her when she was a minor, becoming one of the first high-profile figures to engage with the MeToo discourse in 2019. Haenel expressed frustration when Roman Polanski won Best Director at the 2020 César ceremony, interpreting the award as a betrayal of her stance against sexual violence. She ultimately distanced herself from the cinema industry in 2023, denouncing it as “reactionary, racist, and patriarchal.”
In recent years, there has been a noticeable shift in the legal landscape. Ruggia was found guilty in 2024 and received a two-year custodial sentence under house arrest in 2025. Furthermore, actress and director Judith Godrèche has also come forward with allegations against Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon, both of whom denied the claims.
Recently, Gérard Depardieu was found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced to 18 months with a suspended sentence, marking the first time he has faced legal consequences amidst more than 20 public allegations of inappropriate behavior that span decades.
