Editor’s Note: This story mentions sexual assault.
Early on Friday morning, a story debuted from The Independent which described a civil court case against writer and director Paul Schrader, detailing years of sexual abuse against a former assistant of his.
As a result, the Gene Siskel Film Center has canceled “An Evening with Paul Schrader,” a celebration of Schrader’s career in the arts scheduled to be held Saturday, April 4.
“In light of last night’s media reports regarding director Paul Schrader, we have canceled Saturday’s event,” Lori Hile, associate director of marketing at the Siskel, said in a statement to The DePaulia. “Refunds will be available for ticket holders. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
The cancellation comes at the tail end of the center’s “Directed by Paul Schrader” series, which highlighted his filmography as a director. Using the WayBack Machine to access the now deleted page on the Siskel’s website, it began on March 29 with a screening of 1978’s “Blue Collar” and concluded on April 3 with 2017’s “First Reformed.”
Niko Hackett, a film student at DePaul and avid fan of Schrader, was disappointed by the cancellation but understood the reasons why.
“Schrader’s movies are what got me into movies in the first place,” Hackett said. “I think the cancellation of the event is absolutely understandable. The news of Schrader’s allegations took all of us by surprise, so I can only imagine the nightmare it must be on the end of Siskel’s faculty.”
Schrader was set to receive the “Renaissance Award” at a ceremony following the panel, an honor given out by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago annually since 2002. Previous recipients include Mark Ruffalo, Nicole Kidman and Matt Damon, among other members of the entertainment industry.
Allegations against the “Taxi Driver” scribe include an instance during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, in which the defendant (known only as Jane Doe) was physically forced by Schrader to kiss him in his hotel room.
Jane Doe was able to escape the room, but was allegedly lured back to the room three days later as Schrader claimed he was dying and needed help packing bags. When she returned, Schrader exposed his penis to her while in a bathrobe and stated that he wanted her to feel his sweat-soaked bedsheets.
Phillip Kessler, Schrader’s personal attorney, made a statement to The Independent in which he described the claims as “desperate, frivolous, and opportunistic.”
“The underlying intentions of the plaintiff here contain many very material inaccuracies, and are obviously designed to paint Mr. Schrader in a very false light, in an effort to intimidate and coerce him into settling,” Kessler said. “To be very clear, Mr. Schrader never had sex in any form with the plaintiff, nor did he ever attempt such a thing. We will vigorously defend this.”
Hackett believes, in the wake of allegations against entertainment icons like P. Diddy and others in the industry, that there should be a safer work environment for under-the-line workers.
“I personally feel like there needs to be a role on set, cut in the same cloth of intimacy coordinators, designed to check in with the safety/well-being of the cast and crew,” Hackett said. “I feel like this would prioritize the comfort and well-being of everyone involved, while also keeping in check instances of misconduct.”
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