2024-04-09 17:35:20
The famous Croatian director Dalibor Matanic admitted on Facebook that he sexually harassed his female colleagues, actresses under the influence of alcohol and drugs, reported the Croatian website “Index”. The admission came after a damning article featuring victim stories was published on Friday.
“I sincerely and immensely regret my indecent actions which have caused certain women to feel distressed and uncomfortable. I was not aware of my wrong approach towards my co-stars off the set. I’m known for my specific, fringe humor and radical methods to make the actors as good as possible in the frames, but nothing justifies this if you make someone feel uncomfortable,” Matanich wrote on the social network.
He added that he is being treated in the relevant institution and thanks to his treatment he realized his guilt. He justified himself by using alcohol and drugs.
Matanic is one of the most famous contemporary Croatian directors and won an award at the Cannes Film Festival in France in 2015 for his film “Zenith” (The high sun), notes AFP. He often uses his films to criticize patriarchal culture and violence against women.
Last week, the Croatian newspaper “Večerni list” published testimonies from the actresses who had uncomfortable moments with the famous director. They state that during filming, Matanic incited them to have sex with their film partners, sent indecent photos of himself and wanted them to be sent to him, made lewd comments and groped the girls without their permission. According to the testimony, he selected younger and inexperienced actresses as victims, relying on the fact that they were still breaking into the industry and did not have enough courage to share their bad experiences.
The Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb, where Matanic leads lectures during the winter semester, announced that it is giving up its cooperation with the director, BTA reported.
Although the actresses who shared their unpleasant experiences with Matanic have not yet filed charges, Croatian police have launched an investigation into the testimonies.
“From the publications in the media, it can be concluded that it may be a question of criminal acts that are being prosecuted in an official way. We will deal with the prosecution. We have received no reports of casualties,” said the head of the Croatian Criminal Police Service, Antionio Gerovac.