Shaken by accusations of sexual violence, Spanish cinema struggles to embrace #MeToo

The Spanish cinema industry is feverish in the face of accusations of violence and sexual harassment against certain professionals in the sector. The case involving the Spanish director Eduard Cortés, nominated twice in his career for the Goya Prize, the Iberian César, is the perfect example. The 65-year-old man is accused by 27 women of sexual harassment. Between 2007 and October 2024, he allegedly requested photos of a sexual nature from women working in the cinema industry in exchange for work. Despite these accusations, the filmmaker was not worried by the Catalan Cinema Academy, which had nevertheless opened a commission of inquiry.

At the end of October, photographer Silvia Grav published a conversation with director Eduard Cortés in which she accused him of having offered her work in exchange for posing nude for him. She was immediately joined in her fight by around twenty women who denounced similar facts. According to the alleged victims, he contacted them via different social networks. They were aged 20 to 30 and two of them were minors.

After coming out of silence, some complainants contacted the victim assistance service offered by the Catalan Cinema Academy, of which Eduard Cortés was until then a member. « The objective was twofold: to receive legal advice on how to move forward with the case – since the Academy has a support team made up of a lawyer and a psychologist – and put pressure on the institution to position itself », explains the Spanish daily The Country.

“We feel abandoned. »

Norah Alexandra Vega, one of the plaintiffs.

On October 30, for the first time in its history, the Catalan Cinema Academy opened a commission of inquiry and took up the matter. But it did not succeed: the director withdrew from the Academy on November 25, before the start of the investigation, specifies the Spanish daily. In a press release, the Catalan body informs that « the investigation is provisionally archived and that it would be relaunched in the event that he requests registration as a member again » in this organization. On Instagram, Sylvia Grav is outraged by the apathy of the Catalan Film Academy which « simply limited itself to waiting for the last day of the deadline provided for in the protocol (30 days) to let Eduard Cortes leave of his own accord the day before ». « We feel abandoned »adds Norah Alexandra Vega, one of the supposed victims.

The film industry continues to face its great taboo. Last week, the board of directors of the Academy of Cinema informed that seven screenwriters resigned last year from the institution due to the presence among them of Luis María Ferrández González, accused by six women of different assaults sexual. According to The Countrya deep malaise hovered in the institution, which had failed to dismiss Luis María Ferrández.

Silence during official ceremonies

During the Feroz Awards gala in January 2024, the avalanche of declarations on the networks against sexual violence contrasted with the silence of the Spanish cinema elite. A few days earlier, The Country revealed accusations of sexual violence against director Carlos Vermut. On the stage, often used to protest against wars, terrorism and social inequalities, no actor spoke on the subject. In the wake of this affair, another Spanish director, Armando Ravelo, was accused by an artist of having « incited » to have sex when she was only 14 years old.

In response, the Minister of Culture Ernest Urtasun announced, the day before the Goya ceremony, the creation of an assistance unit for victims of sexual violence and abuse in the cultural sector. But during the Spanish Caesar ceremony, there were not very many statements on the subject. In an interview published by the newspaper The World in November, the actress with three Goyas, Candela Peña confirmed the omerta reigning in Spanish cinema. « I can't speak because fear overwhelms me. It's better to keep quiet, because I want to continue working », she confided.