Three women have reported having been victims of sexual violence by director Carlos Vermut. The complainants include a film student, an employee in one of his productions and a worker in the cultural sector. The three women denounce in El País – under a sworn and signed statement – that Vermut had violent sexual relations with them without his consent, abusing his position of power and prestige within the film industry. Up to 31 industry workers have provided anonymous statements to El País stating that they were aware of these three testimonies or providing context to them. These statements include actresses, bosses and members of technical and artistic teams, and six people from the filmmaker’s entourage.
The episodes of sexual violence occurred in Vermut’s own residence in Madrid between May 2014 and February 2022, in accordance with the story provided by the three complainants. The film student claims to have been immobilized, strangled and sexually forced, stating that in the face of Vermut’s alleged aggression she showed opposition “both non-verbally and physically”, going so far as to “get away” from the director “with kicks”. The student says that she repeatedly asked Vermut to put on a condom and that he “didn’t do it.” The woman explains that, months later, she continued to have relations with Vermut, but that only over time did she realize that her supposedly violent attitudes were constitutive of aggression, and that psychologically she was “denying what passed”.
The second woman, employed in one of Vermut’s productions, says that the filmmaker kissed and touched her without her consent and that he tore off her bra. To her astonishment, Vermut went to her room and “started chatting with another aunt to meet up.”
The third, a worker in the cultural sector, claims that Vermut promised her a better job and that the filmmaker subjected her to “degrading” treatment for months, both “verbal” and “physical.” The woman accuses Vermut of having locked her in her house in an episode in which Vermut expressed to her that “you can’t leave me alone,” and describes that the “level of violence” exercised during the sexual relations they had “was not consensual.” ”.
The El País report includes statements by Carlos Vermut in which the filmmaker confirms having had “rough sex” and “violent” relationships throughout his life but “always in a consensual manner” and claims “he was not aware of “have committed sexual violence against any woman.” Vermut assures that “another thing is that the person in his house later felt bad and perhaps at the time was afraid to say it. I can’t know that”, and he points out that “I would like it to be published that I have had many relationships of many types, always wanting the other person to be well. And I think that having had a promiscuous sex life and having had sex of many types can lead you to situations like these.” The article details the three testimonies in greater depth.
Two of the complainants claim to have not reported the events they describe to the police for fear of losing their jobs, while the third did not do so for fear of not getting one, the report details.
