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“I will rely on the courts for the truth and for justice to be served”. Let’s start from the end. Paul Haggis, Crash’s Oscar-winning director, has ended up at an unscheduled crossroads in his life. He was in Italy, in Puglia, to take part to a film festival with other Hollywood stars when the police put handcuffs on his wrists. The accusation is terrible: sexual assault. An English girl who reached Haggis in Puglia and spent few days with him is accusing him.

Haggis has always said he is innocent and that those acts were consensual. Brindisi judge, Wilma Gilli, who ordered the arrest, after questioning the woman in the probative incident and reading the defense investigations by Haggis’ lawyer, Michele Laforgia of the Polis law firm, decided to release him. “Absence of violence and coercion” she wrote.

Investigators say that is a story where the concept of consent is fundamental.

“No injury, no sign of violence: Mr. Haggis is absolutely innocent”, mr. Laforgia, his lawyer, the one who has taken him out of this nightmare, says.

The prosecutor appealed the judge’s decision.

We cannot talk about the subject of the trial. I have great respect for the court” Haggis says, sneakers under a black jacket, firm handshake. “Today there is a very beautiful light”.

Mr. Haggis, how are you?

“Better now, thank you. During the two weeks of house arrest, I remained calm because I knew I hadn’t committed any crime, and I’ve always had faith in the justice system. Of course, there were challenging moments, and I was able to face these thanks to the love and support of my family and friends and the assistance of my lawyer and his team, who have been exceptional”.

You have always pleaded innocent. After examining the allegedly injured person, the judge believed your version, even if the prosecutor could insist on the accusations against you.

“Being accused of sexual violence, something that I did not do, was devastating and something I hope no innocent person will ever experience. It was also tough not to be able to speak to my children and family, many of whom were here to join me for the festival. After two weeks, we finally got permission for my son to see me, but by then he was leaving. He ran to see me, hugged me, and told me he loved me and to be brave. That’s one of the things I will never forget. I was also very grateful to have my daughter, her wife and two children with me. That was an incredible gift”.

Do you think you made some mistake in what happened? Would he do it all again?

“As I told the judge, my first mistake was allowing someone who I hardly knew to come and visit me. It was foolish. The second mistake was on the last morning after an incident occurred that I personally found particularly unpleasant, I decided to end this situation; I took this person to the airport hours before her flight. I’m upset with myself for these errors in judgment but cannot comprehend that they resulted in false and damaging accusations against me”. 

What were your feelings during the probative incident when you saw your accuser again? Those who met her on the morning of the complaint said that the lady was very shaken and tried. Has he had a thought for you these days?

“I’d rather not talk about the woman who made these accusations; the investigation is still ongoing, and I believe in showing the greatest respect for the court. I can only say that I agree with her Honor, Judge Gilli, in her conclusions about the woman’s version. I see no plausible reason why any person who is genuinely interested in a relationship wouldn’t use her real name. During her interview, she appeared well prepared and rehearsed, not fragile or subjugated, as she claimed”. 

What impact has it had with the Italian justice system? Did you feel guaranteed? Did you notice any differences, even in the management of the trial, with your country?

“The Italian judicial system seemed to operate efficiently. In only two weeks, her Honor the judge came to a clear and insightful conclusion. However, there are some things that I cannot understand, like how it’s possible that in your country you can start and continue a trial even when the accusation is not corroborated by clear evidence. It seems strange and unjust to me that innocent people can apparently be prosecuted for years”.

Do these events change your feeling toward Italy?

“Anyone who knows me knows I love Italy and spend as much time here as possible.I have always had great respect for your people and country. The decision of Judge Gilli reassured me, that I was right to trust the Italian judicial system. However, my attorneys explained to me that in Italy, a trial could last many years. I can’t even imagine the damage that kind of prosecution could cause to my family and my ability to provide for them”. 

The media from all over the world have covered your judicial affair: how much did it weigh on you to have to ignore this clamor and defend yourself in the trial?

“Of course, it weighed heavily on me. A person’s reputation takes a lifetime to build and can be destroyed in a minute, even by a false and completely unsubstantiated accusation like this”.

Trials, and in particular criminal ones, have always been a source of inspiration for cinema: will your vision of judicial histories change after this story?

“I have always loved legal stories, especially those where the protagonist is outmatched and overwhelmed, where they have no chance in hell of winning, and yet somehow preserve. Even today, my favorite is still Sidney Lumet and David Mamet’s The Verdict. These films are not truly about the law. They are about justice and integrity. At their core is always the question of what we are willing to sacrifice in order to obtain justice, as it never comes without a price. In The Verdict, Newman’s charter Frank Galvin faces a terrible choice, he can have his career back or he can have his self-respect. He chooses to risk everything, and ultimately sacrifices what he loves most in order to regain the integrity he lost many years before. Those are terrible choices, ones I wish I never had to make in my life, but to me, integrity is everything. The law is not always just, as we know. It can be manipulated by those with power and money. So, when someone like Galvin wins, despite the odds against him, for a moment we regain our faith in the legal system. It’s a faith I have always had, despite many examples in life of how that faith could be misplaced. But I can’t help trusting that the truth comes out”.

You have been accused by women in both America and Italy now of sexual misconduct. Is it possible you have a problem with women?

“I have been working in theatre, television and film for over forty years, and have collaborated with quite literally thousands of women over that time. I was married twice, for twelve years each, and have a son and three great daughters, two of whom are married to incredible women. I have had relationships and great friendships with dozens of women. Not one woman has ever gone to the police or a prosecutor with a complaint about me, in any country. No, I most certainly don’t have a problem with women”.

The accusation in Italy came after a civil suit filed in the United States for a similar affair: in both situations you say you are innocent. Did you wonder why the accusations were made?

“Of course I asked myself, and I wish I could comment on the civil case, but I am still bound by the court order I signed almost five years ago and cannot reveal any evidence or information I have learned. The woman in the United States did not make a criminal complaint against me; she demanded nine million dollars from me to keep silent, about a consensual one-night encounter we had five years earlier”.

By the way: someone recalled your difficult relationship with Scientology in these hours. Why did you get out of it?

“I am afraid that would take too long to explain, but I slowly came to understand that Scientology was, in fact, corrupt at its core. It is something I honestly should have realized much earlier. I could no longer defend it or be any part of it”.

After you got out, you had the courage to tell your experience in a documentary that shocked the United States and, later, in a long interview with the New Yorker. Do you think there could be a relationship with what happened to you?

“I don’t yet have proof in this instance, but from what I have learned in dealing with Scientology, they are capable of absolutely anything. If you speak out against them, they will use any means to destroy your reputation, career, and family. They refer to this ruthless tactic as “Fair Game.” You can ask people who know more than me, like Mike Rinder, who for many years supervised Scientology’s “black ops,” as they call it, or one of the dedicated and brave journalists like Bryan Seymour who have spent their careers investigating this dangerous cult”.

The previous indictment in the United States, as you yourself recounted, caused great problems at work although there was no conviction or criminal trial. What is Hollywood’s relationship with these events?

“I have waited five years to clear my name in the civil lawsuit, no evidence has been presented nor testimony heard by any court, and yet in Italy, it is considered a precedent against me. I have never been charged with any crime; no woman has made a criminal complaint against me. I am still the only person to ask any prosecutor to investigate. As for my work, after five years, I recently got two jobs as a screenwriter. When I was arrested in Italy, I lost both”.

You are an award-winning director and screenwriter. You have written memorable films. Didn’t you feel like you were in the middle of a bad script? If it really were a movie, how would you get out of such a situation?

“In fiction, you only know the heart of a character when you put them under terrible pressure. I believe this is just as true in life. I have always tried to carry myself with dignity and not speak out or defend myself. I will rely on the courts for the truth and for justice to be served”.