HBO Documentary Films is currently in production on a documentary about Gisèle Pelicot, directed by Oscar®-winning filmmaker Joanna Natasegara. The film will debut on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

The forthcoming documentary follows Gisèle Pelicot, a French woman who endured a decade of abuse after her husband drugged her and arranged for dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious. In 2024, 51 men were convicted in what became one of France’s largest sexual violence trials. Pelicot waived her anonymity to speak publicly, attracting worldwide media attention and igniting conversations about consent and accountability.

Pelicot said she spoke out to force society to place shame where it belongs: on the perpetrators. “When you’re raped, there is shame, and it’s not for us to have shame. It’s for them,” she stated. Her rallying cry sparked a new wave of solidarity among survivors of sexual abuse everywhere, making her an icon to many. The response to her stance was equally clear. Crowds chanted “Merci, Gisèle” outside the courthouse. The phrase appeared on walls all over Avignon, the city in France where the trial was held.

With exclusive and in-depth access, the documentary will accompany Gisèle on her journey as she rebuilds her life, remaining determined to speak out for survivors of sexual violence everywhere.

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Directed and produced by Joanna Natasegara

produced by Abigail Anketell Jones and Brenda Coughlin

produced by Violet Films

edited by Sylvie Landra

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Executive producers

Laura Poitras, Mariana Oliva, Marcos Nisti, Luana Lobo, Estela Renner, and Ana Lucia Villela for MFF & CO;

James Costa and Trevor Burgess for Bird Street Productions;

Chandra Jessee and Rebecca Lichtenfeld for InMaat;

Maxyne Franklin and Sandra Whipham for Doc Society;

and Jenny Warburg.