Chilean Director Nicolas Lopez Steps Down From Production Company After Sexual Misconduct Allegations

July 1, 2018 5:28pm

After being accused of sexual harassment, Chilean filmmaker Nicolas Lopez has stepped down from his post at his production company Sobras.

Eight actresses and models including Josefina Montane, Lucy Cominetti, Andrea Velasco and Maria Vidaurre have accused Lopez of unsolicited kissing, requests that women inappropriately touch him, and other sexual misconduct. In the YouTube video below, Lopez announces his departure from the company he started 12 years ago.

In the video, which is in Spanish, Lopez said he does not want his private life to affect his collaborators, actors and production team. He adds that he is the only one responsible for his actions and that no one else deserves to be intimidated.

Lopez, who has collaborated with director Eli Roth on genre thrillers Aftershock and Knock Knock, addressed the allegations on his Instagram account, which has been set to private. Translated from Spanish, he wrote, “I don’t understand what is happening nor the break in my years-long relationships of trust and affection. If I sometimes have been misunderstood, I apologize. But I’m not a stalker nor an abuser.”

The filmmaker is known as box office hitmaker in Chile, making Spanish-language films such as Sin Filtro (No Filter) and No Soy Loca (I’m Not Crazy). Many of his films have been licensed on Netflix, but his relationship with the streaming giant is currently under review.