“Imagine that I have gone up to my house with a person and We are in bed or on the couch talking. I assume it has a sexual intention.” It is one of the responses of Madrid filmmaker Carlos Vermut (Madrid, 43 years old) to the questions of the EL PAÍS journalistic team. The director answers the accusations of sexual assault, made by three women.
A film student, an employee of one of his productions and a worker in the cultural sector, assure that The filmmaker took advantage of his recognition to attack them. The fear of losing their jobs would have made them desist from reporting.
And the world of audiovisuals has historically been difficult for women to access, representing only 37% of those who work in the industry, according to CIMA data. And Carlos Vermut is recognized in the world of Spanish auteur cinema. The director won the Golden Shell of San Sebastián with Magical Girl (2014) and was nominated in the last Goya for the award for best direction for Manticore.
According to what the women tell EL PAÍS, None of them reported it because two of them were afraid of losing their jobs and another of not being able to get one. According to data from the Ministry of Equality, only 8% of victims who suffer sexual violence dare to report it.
The events they recount took place between May 2014 and February 2022. The stories coincide on something: the violence exerted by Vermut. There is also something in common, the profile of the complainants. Young women, two of them were 21 and 26 years old at the time of the alleged attack. The three, who are small in stature, say that for this reason they felt unable to get rid of him or defend themselves, for fear that something worse could happen to them.
May 2014, Madrid
The first testimony, collected by EL PAÍS, tells in his story that he met Vermut in a pub in Malasaña. According to the woman, they flirted and went to her house. Remember that once inside “He threw himself on top of me and began to strangle me. “I started kicking him.” According to his testimony, he asked Vermut to use a condom, something he would not have done.
A WhatsApp conversation between the woman and her friend hours later shows her fear about the situation that occurred.
May 2016, Madrid
The second woman was a year away from graduating college. The filmmaker contacted her to offer help breaking into the industry. The calls and emails between the two intensified, to talk about movies.
He wrote to her almost daily, according to the young woman, until one day he proposed that she come to his house to analyze one of his films.
He remembers that he went to his house and that they were alone. They watched the movie and, when it was over, Vermut jumped on her. According to his testimony, He kissed her and put his hand between her breasts. “I stayed so still, I didn’t know what to do, he noticed it and said: ‘Is something wrong with you?’” Vermouth got up and went to his room.
The filmmaker responds to the EL PAÍS team: “Imagine that I have gone up to my house with a person and We are in bed or on the couch talking. I assume it has a sexual intention.. Maybe I’ll get close to her, I can touch her breasts, and if that person tells me to get away from her, I won’t do anything else.
Finals 2019 to February 2022, Madrid
The third woman met Carlos Vermut at a meal. From there she had a series of sexual encounters, with violence that she did not consent to, according to her story. For fear of losing her source of income, she continued meeting with the filmmaker.
The stories are collected by the team made up of Gregorio Belinchón, Ana Marcos and Elena Reina from EL PAÍS.
In case you need it, the 016 telephone number assists victims of sexist violence, their families and those around them 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Also by WhatsApp at the number 600 000 016. If it is an emergency situation, you can call 112 or the National Police (091) and the Civil Guard (062) telephone numbers. If you cannot call, you can use the ALERTCOPS application, from which an alert signal is sent to the Police with geolocation.