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Leading French filmmakers Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon have been taken into police custody for questioning over accusations of historical sexual abuse, French media is reporting.

Actor Judith Godrèche accused Benoît Jacquot of raping her as a child and Jacques Doillon of sexually assaulting her, also as a child.

The two men arrived at the Regional Directorate of the Judicial Police (DRPJ) in Paris on Monday morning, the AFP news agency reports.

The pair have denied the allegations and their lawyers have denounced their detainment.

Jacques Doillon's lawyer, Marie Dose, said no legal criteria could justify his being detained for questioning "36 years" after the alleged incident.

Under French law, an individual can be held in police custody for up to 48 hours.

Earlier this year, Ms Godrèche, 51, filed a complaint against Benoît Jacquot, 77, accusing him of rape in 1986, when she was 14.

She claimed that he had an unhealthy "hold" over her during a relationship that lasted into the 1990s.

She also accused Jacques Doillon of sexual assault while on set when she acted in one of his films.

The accusations prompted a joint investigation in February.

Reacting to the custody measure in a post on Instagram, she posted a picture of herself as a teenager next to Benoît Jacquot, with the caption: "I'm crying... From all this... I don't know if I have the strength but I will have it. I will have it... For her."

In the early part of her career, Judith Godrèche was known for her roles in two films made by Benoît Jacquot, The Beggars (1987) and The Disenchanted (1990).

He has been directing since the mid-1970s with his drama Farewell, My Queen opening the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival.

Ms Godréche starred in Jacques Dillion's 1989 film, The 15 Year Old Girl, which was entered into the Moscow International Film Festival. His more recent films include Rodin and You, Me and Us.

She has gone on to make numerous other films including The Overnight, The Spanish Apartment and The Man in the Iron Mask.