Haggis, a 69-year-old Canadian, was in Italy for a film festival starting Tuesday in Ostuni, a tourist town in Puglia, the “heel” of the Italian peninsula. A statement from the film festival told Variety magazine that the organizers “learned with disappointment and shock the news that Paul Haggis is in custody for alleged violence”. The directors of the festival “immediately proceeded to remove any participation of the director from the event” and “at the same time express their full solidarity with the woman involved”, it is added in their announcement. Haggis is a director, producer and screenwriter. Won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Crash. He then wrote screenplays for Million Dollar Baby, James Bond installments of Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale, as well as directing In the Valley of Elah and The Next Three Days. He was previously a prominent Scientologist and has written about his escape from the organization. The LaPresse news agency and several other Italian media outlets carried a written statement from prosecutors in the nearby town of Brindisi that they were investigating allegations of a “young foreigner” who was forced to have “non-consensual” sex for two days. Prosecutors Antonio Negro and Livia Orlando, who are conducting the investigation, said in a statement that the woman was “forced to seek medical attention” after having sex. After a few days of “non-consensual relations, the woman was accompanied by the man” at Brindisi airport on Sunday and “was left there in the early hours of the morning despite precarious physical and psychological conditions”. Brindisi’s prosecutor’s office reportedly closed on Sunday. Haggis’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Prosecutors said airport staff and police noticed her apparently “confused state” and – after giving her initial treatment – took her to Brindisi police headquarters. The police escorted her to a local hospital for examination. It was not immediately clear if Haggis was being held at the police station, hotel or other accommodation. Italian prosecutors also said the woman “formalized her complaint and cited circumstances which were then examined by investigators for confirmation”. They did not mention her nationality or age. Paul Haggis had previously been accused in the US of sexually harassing four women, including two rape allegations, in 2018. In this case, which has not yet reached court, the director was originally sued by a journalist who claimed raped. Three other women have filed charges. Journalist Haleigh Breest accused Haggis of “a shocking and disgusting case of rape and sexual assault” in 2013. Haggis filed a counterclaim alleging that the lawsuit was “blackmail”, an attempt to extort $ 9 million from him. The next three accusers have not revealed their identities. Haggis’s lawyer denied any wrongdoing, saying “he did not rape anyone.” In an interview with the Guardian about sexual harassment in Hollywood, Haggis described it as a “pretty sexist” city. “A lot of people are at risk from Harvey’s alleged actions,” he said. “Even though everyone thinks it is miserable behavior, you should focus on those who may have conspired and protected him.”
