‘The Staircase’ Filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade on Making ‘Samber,’ a Record-Breaking Series About France’s Most Notorious Sexual Predator
variety.comElsa Keslassy International Correspondent Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind docuseries “The Staircase,” has once again struck a chord with “Samber,” a limited series about a French serial rapist that explores the damages of sexual violence against women and children. “Samber,” a six-part thriller series directed by de Lestrade, charts the true case of Dino Scala, a seemingly ordinary family man who sexually assaulted and raped more than 50 women and minors over three decades in Northeastern France.
In spite of several victims filing complaints, Scala was able to slip through the cracks of France’s judicial system and benefited from a complacent stance toward sexual abuses.
He was eventually arrested in February 2018 and found guilty of 17 rapes, 12 attempted rapes and 27 sexual assaults or attempts.
In June 2022, Scala was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Represented in international markets by Federation Studios, the six-part series has captured the zeitgeist in France, which is undergoing a new #MeToo reckoning with allegations against revered French film figures including Benoit Jacquot, Jacques Doillon and Gerard Depardieu. “Samber” broke primetime ratings records when it aired in November and December on the French public broadcaster France 2, with an average market share of 19% and more than 4 million viewers per episode.
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