The French writer Michel Houellebecq has appealed against the decision of the Amsterdam court about his role in a Dutch sex film. This is confirmed by the ANP news agency on Friday after reporting de Volkskrant. He plays the leading role in the film by the Dutch art collective KIRAC, but does not want the images to be released. Houellebecq says he did not know what he had agreed to and never wanted to have sex in Amsterdam. The case will return to court on April 18, KIRAC has stated NRC let them know.
According to Houllebecq, the contract he made with KIRAC is not legally valid because he was depressed when he signed it, it was the middle of the night and he was intoxicated. But the judge did not agree, because “it is not understandable why Houellebecq did participate in the recordings if he found the agreement really problematic.” Moreover, according to the judge, there was enough time between the conclusion of the contract and the start of the shooting for the film to return to the agreements.
“I will continue to litigate, as long as the court allows,” he said at the end of March NRC just before the court ruled. Houellebecq wanted the film banned after seeing the trailer. In that trailer, the writer can be seen bare-chested in a bed, kissing a young woman.
Read also: Michel Houellebecq: “It was very stupid to sign that contract”
In return for NRC previously said the writer that it was “very stupid” to sign the contract. “I should have included in the contract that I did not want anything sexual in the picture.”
Houllebecq had previously filed a lawsuit in France against the artist collective KIRAC, but he lost that too. The writer had to pay a small compensation to filmmaker Stefan Ruitenbeek.