Group of female directors condemns award for Johnny Depp
Spain's leading women's director group on Tuesday criticized the San Sebastian Film Festival's decision to award Johnny Depp the highest honor, saying it gave the international event a bad name after a British judge last year ruled that domestic violence allegations (Domestic Violence) against the actor is “substantially true.”
President of Spain's Association of Female Filmmakers & Audiovisual Media Cristina Andreu said she was "very surprised" by the decision announced Monday (9/8) to award Depp with the "Donostia Award" at the 69th festival next month. The “Donostia Award” is the festival's highest award and honors a lifetime of achievement.
“This award gives a very bad image of the festival and its leadership, and sends a chilling message to the public that 'it doesn't matter if you are a sexual offender as long as you are a good actor,' Andreu told the Associated Press.
He added that the association, which has close ties to the San Sebastian Festival, "is studying the next steps to take."
The San Sebastian International Film Festival will be held in northern Spain from September 17-25. Depp is expected to receive the award in person on September 22, which will be his third appearance on the show.
An email sent to Depp's publicist in Los Angeles in response to the criticism has not been answered.
Depp Loses in Defamation Case
Johnny Depp last year lost a defamation case against a British newspaper that accused him of domestic violence. The judge ruling the case said the allegations were "substantially true." Last March a British court rejected Depp's application to appeal the ruling that he had assaulted his ex-wife,
Amber Heard, said her attempts to overturn the decision "give no real prospect of success."
Depp also sued Heard for $50 million in the state of Virginia for writing an opinion piece in the Washington Post about his domestic violence. The trial of this case is adjourned until April 2022
