September 4th 2023.
On Saturday, Spanish actor Gabriel Guevara was arrested at the Venice Film Festival over an alleged sexual assault in France, just one day before he was due to receive an award for his fledgling career and successes. The 22-year-old actor, known for his role in Prime Video’s teen film franchise My Fault, was apprehended by Italian authorities and is currently in protected custody with the Italian State Police.
The Venice court of appeals will rule on his case before the extradition proceeding can begin, and Filming Italy, the group giving out the award, has since suspended the honour as a ‘precaution’ pending the outcome of the case. The award was to be given out at a fringe event at the festival, which has no connection to the main Venice Film Festival.
The Biennale di Venezia also issued a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, clarifying that Guevara’s presence in Venice was not linked to any events or productions related to the 80th Venice International Film Festival. Guevara, who had initially publicised his arrival in Venice to his 6.4million Instagram followers, made his acting debut on the Spanish version of Norwegian teen drama Skam, and also appeared in HIT and Netflix’s You’re Nothing Special, as well as Spanish series Cómo mandarlo todo a la mierda on HBO Max last year.
This year’s Venice Film Festival has already seen Adam Driver’s new film Ferrari, in which he transforms into the Italian sports car entrepreneur, well received with a seven-minute standing ovation, while Sunday night brought the glamour of the amfAR Gala to the Lido. It’s the first major festival to get underway during both the WGA and Sag-Aftra strikes, with some films and studios – such as Ferrari – striking interim agreements for its stars to promote their projects after all.
There has also been some controversy surrounding the film festival’s decision to screen films by directors Woody Allen, Roman Polanski and Luc Besson, all of whom have been embroiled in past sexual abuse accusations. Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old in 1977, and has remained a fugitive of US law ever since after fleeing ahead of sentencing. Allen has repeatedly denied his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow’s allegations of sexual abuse when she was aged seven in 1992, while Besson was accused of rape by an actress in 2018. He denied the claims and was cleared of all charges in June.
The Agency has contacted Gabriel Guevara’s rep and Polizia de Stato in Venice for comment. While the case is pending, Venice Film Festival continues, bringing stars including Adam Driver and Kate Beckinsale and glamour to the Lido.
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