Carlos Vermouth He is a screenwriter, director and comic book artist, author of a film that explores the murkiest human drives and who, with only his first two films, became a cult filmmaker supported by critics and awards. Throughout his career he has achieved several Goya nominations, two for best direction and another two for best original screenplay. The filmmaker was reported for sexual violence last January and now it is back on everyone’s lips after three other women have come forward to accuse the director of sexual violence.

Carlos López del Rey, better known as Carlos Vermut, was accused by three women of acts of sexual violence committed between May 2014 and February 2022, according to an investigation published in January by ‘El País’. A self-taught filmmaker, in a few years he went from self-production more underground to manage million-dollar budgets.

His first movie, Diamond Flash (2011), cost 20,000 euros and was distributed online. Three years later she won a Golden Shell in San Sebastián for magical girl (2014) and the Silver for best director and his next film,Who will sing to you (2018), had the backing of Netflix and a budget of Two millions of euros.

Who is Carlos Vermut?

He was born in Madrid on March 6, 1980 And since he was little he liked to make comics – he is passionate about manga and Japanese fantasy heroes – and recording his family and friends with a video camera. He studied Illustration at the 10 Art School in Madrid and began working as a cartoonist, as well as a cartoonist and illustrator for the newspaper ‘El Mundo’.

His pseudonym comes from when he made fanzines and he put his name next to a vermouth label that his grandfather had in a winery in Ciudad Real and that he thought had an elegant design. In 2006 he won the Injuve comic award and after that he published his first solo comic, ‘El banyán rojo’, for which he was nominated in four categories at the Barcelona International Comic Fair. Then came ‘Psicosoda’ and ‘Plutón BRB Nero, Maripili’s revenge’.

Vermouth participated in the television series TVE’s ‘Jelly Jamm’ in 2008 and a year later he released his first short, ‘Maquetas’, for which he won the Notodofilmfest award and the best short film at the XXI San Sebastián fantasy and horror film week.

In 2009 he filmed his second short, ‘Michirones’ and a year later he went to Japan, where he wrote the script for what would be his first film, ‘Diamond flash’the story of five women in relation to a mysterious character and in which he was present the topic of abuse. The filmmaker created the production company Psicosoda Films in 2011 and released the film independently. It was published on June 8 on the Internet and was a “trending topic” in Spain that same day, in addition to being the most viewed on the film portal in two weeks. ‘Diamond flash’ was very well received by critics and Caimán magazine chose it as one of the two best Spanish films of 2012along with ‘Snow White’ by Pablo Berger.

From 2012 is the short film written and directed by him, ‘Don Pepe Popi’, in a key of black humor. His second film, ‘Magical girl’, premiered in 2014 at the Toronto International Film Festival and did a double in San Sebastián, winning the Golden Shell for best film and the silver shell for best director. Furthermore, he managed seven Goya nominations and Bárbara Lennie won best actress. It is a story of domination and sadomasochism where the fate of a father with a sick daughter and an anime fan intersects with a disturbed young woman and a teacher with a dark past who find themselves trapped in a web of blackmail.

Afterwards, with ‘Who will sing to you’ (2018) achieved seven Goya nominations and its protagonist, Eva Llorach won best new actress. In it she reflects on identity and fame through the story of a famous singer who loses her memory after an accident. ‘Hollywood Reporter’, one of the main media outlets in the sector in North America, described Vermouth as “almodovaresco”. He recognizes that inevitable reference of Pedro Almodovar, but he considers that “the rhythm and mystery” of his films are more similar to Carlos Saura “darker and more psychological”as pointed out to EFE in 2018.

In 2021 he releases his fourth feature film, ‘Manticore’, a plot about a video game designer tormented by his pedophile inclinations. He achieved four nominations for the Goya Awards that year.