Channel 5 is preparing a documentary about France’s mass rape trial, which has stunned the world and is currently in its last stretches after 11 weeks of hearings. At the center of the trial is Gisèle Pelicot, a 72-year-old woman whose former husband, Dominique Pelicot, drugged her and invited men to rape her for over a decade.
Titled “The Pelicot Rape Case: A Town on Trial,” the 90-minute documentary will air on Dec. 11 on primetime. Produced by ITV Productions, the doc will provide a psychological, legal and cultural perspective, with input from the Mazan community where the Pelicots lived a seemingly idyllic retirement.
The documentary will also feature an exclusive on-camera interview with one of the alleged rapists in the case, who will be visually and vocally anonymized.
While it’s the first documentary to be announced about the mass rape trial, several others are believed to be in production, including in France where the public broadcaster is preparing one.
The case is still ongoing as French prosecutors have demanded prison sentences ranging from 4 to 20 years for the 51 men accused of participating in the repeated rape of Gisèle Pelicot over 10 years. The prosecution requested a 20-year sentence for Dominique Pelicot, who admitted that he recruited strangers online to come to their home and rape his wife while she was sedated.
“Speaking to those who have been in court every day of the trail and those who have watched from afar, we will ask how these crimes could have gone unreported for so many years, what it means for how sexual assault is viewed in France and the rest of the world and what hard questions men need to ask themselves about modern masculinity,” the documentary’s synopsis reads. “We will also speak to one of the alleged rapists themselves to hear his defense in one of the world’s most shocking rape cases.”
Added Ian Rumsey, ITN’s managing director of content: “Our news heritage and the agility of our production teams means ITN Productions is uniquely placed to produce a rigorous, detailed documentary tracking the impact of these disturbing crimes as the trial unfolds. Securing exclusive on-camera access with one of the alleged rapists has been part of our commitment to telling the wider story of Gisèle Pelicot’s astonishing bravery.”
Denise Seneviratne, commissioning editor at Channel 5, said “ITN is the natural partner to produce a documentary about this harrowing crime and unfolding trial, one that has captured the attention of the world.” She added, “Gisèle Pelicot has become a symbolic figure of bravery and change. We believe this story must be told and Channel 5 is resolute in telling it.”
Jeremy Daldry is executive producer and Anna Davis and Oliver Price are producer-directors for ITN Productions. The doc was commissioned by Seneviratne at Channel 5, with post-production by ITN Post.
