Mr. Besson’s lawyer, Thierry Marembert, declined to comment on the accusations, which began becoming public in May. But he said that Mr. Besson, who has not been charged, had been “extremely surprised” when he learned about them. “Luc Besson will keep his explanations for the police, and he is confident that he will be able to prove his innocence,” Mr. Marembert said.

Mr. Besson, 59, is the first prominent film figure in France to face accusations in the #MeToo era, and in a country where cinema is central to the nation’s identity, he is considered as important a figure as Harvey Weinstein once was in American film.

But that is where the comparisons end.

Allegations about Mr. Weinstein’s abusive conduct sparked an entire movement that has brought down many men and began changing the way women are treated in Hollywood. But in France, few celebrities have spoken up in support of Ms. Van Roy, and the initial reports about Mr. Besson have not led to a similar housecleaning in the entertainment industry.

Though the French star Isabelle Adjani has denounced a film culture that masks sexual predation with “gallantry, suggestive behavior and crudeness,” several forces have kept #MeToo and its French counterpart, #BalanceTonPorc, or “Expose Your Pig,” from having the same impact in France that it has had in the United States.