Spain’s film industry elite gathered in the northern city of Valladolid on Saturday for the Goya Film Awards, which was overshadowed by allegations of sexual assault against an independent Spanish filmmaker.
Two weeks after three women told El Pais newspaper that they had suffered sexual violence at the hands of film director Carlos Vermut, the story was still in the news. Vermut denied any wrongdoing in an interview with El Pais newspaper.
Actor Ana Belén, one of the ceremony’s presenters, acknowledged on Saturday that the problem “exists” during the four-hour event, which began at 10pm (9pm GMT).
On Friday, US star Sigourney Weaver, who will be honored at the event, spoke about the incident at a press conference.
The three-time Oscar nominee said: “I am very sorry to hear about this incident. My heart goes out to the women.”
“Women are the ones who are speaking out about this situation and abuse, making it safer for all women to work in this industry.”
Weaver, 74, has received lifetime achievement awards for a string of films, including the “Alien” series and “Gorillas in the Mist.”
– “This is a serious problem” –
On Friday, Spain’s Culture Minister Ernesto Urtasun promised to set up a unit to deal with such allegations of abuse within the sector.
“We have a serious problem of sexual assault and violence in the cultural world and we need to take action as an organization,” he told La Sexta TV.
The Spanish Film Academy has also vowed to fight against such abuses within the industry.
The Academy, which organizes the awards, said: “Sexual violence and abuse of power have no place in the film industry or in Spanish society as a whole.”
A rising star in Spanish independent film, the 43-year-old director, whose real name is Carlos López del Rey, won the top prize at the 2014 San Sebastian Film Festival for his second feature, Magical Girl. We won two awards.
El Pais named the three women and said the alleged assaults occurred between May 2014 and February 2022. The report sparked outrage in a country that has played a leading role in the fight against sexual violence.
In three interviews with the newspaper, Vermut said, “I had no knowledge that he had committed sexual violence against women.”
“I’ve always had consensual rough sex,” he said.
Since the rise of the #Metoo movement in 2017, major figures in the film industry have been accused of sexual violence one after another.
Director Pedro Almodovar and actor Penélope Cruz will present several awards at Saturday’s ceremony.
