San Sebastian Film Festival has defended its decision to honour Johnny Depp with this year's Donostia Award.
Johnny Depp
The annual festival was slapped with criticism from various domestic abuse charities earlier this week after it was announced the 58-year-old actor - who was accused of beating his ex-wife Amber Heard during their marriage - was set to receive the highest accolade next month, but the event's director José Luis Rebordinos has hit back at the controversy and is adamant he will stand by his decision.
He said: "In these present times, when lynching on social media is rife, we will always defend two basic principles which form part of our culture and of our body of laws: that of the presumption of innocence and that of the right to reintegration. According to the proven data which we have at hand, Johnny Depp has not been arrested, charged, nor convicted of any form of assault or violence against any woman. We repeat: he has not been charged by any authority in any jurisdiction, nor convicted of any form of violence against women.
"As the director of and person holding the highest responsibility for the festival, I would like to repeat our commitment to fighting inequality, the abuse of power and violence against women. As well as meeting the commitments acquired in the Charter for Parity and the Inclusion of Women in Cinema, the festival has consciously promoted the presence of female professionals at the head of its departments. By means of its September program and throughout the year it participates in the questioning of society from a critical and feminist point of view. We have also endeavoured to create safe atmospheres for women in the festival places of work and sites and, in the event of inappropriate behaviour, which has occurred, we have taken tough and rapid action. But the festival’s ethical commitments cannot only refer to the problems of women in a patriarchal society, despite the terrible nature of the situation in which we live, where hundreds of women are killed every year as the result of crimes by men. The rejection of all violent behaviour and the presumption of innocence are and will always be our ethical principles.”
The Women's Aid Federation was among the first to criticise the festival, claiming its decision to present the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star with the award - which has previously been won by Judi Dench and Penelope Cruz - after his string of legal battles was "disrespectful to abuse victims".
'The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' star has always denied assaulting his ex-wife, but a High Court judge ruled last year that The Sun newspaper's article, in which they ran a headline calling him a "wife-beater", was "substantially true".
Since losing the case - which was not criminal - Johnny's career has been caught in a downward spiral as he was axed from the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise by Warner Bros and, more recently, 'Minamata' was reportedly shelved because it starred the actor.
The San Sebastian Film Festival will take place from September 17 until September 25.
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