- Sebastiano Riso attacked by two men as he walked into his apartment in Rome
- He was punched in the face and stomach while men hurled homophobic abuse
- Riso left hospitalised after attack, suffering multiple abdominal and eye injuries
A gay Italian film director suffered serious injuries after he was subjected to a brutal homophobic assault at his own home.
Sebastiano Riso was punched in the face and stomach by two thugs as he walked into his apartment in Rome.
The filmmaker was beaten days after his film ‘A Family’, which focuses on a hetrosexual couple that supplies children to gay families, opened in Italy.
Sebastiano Riso was punched in the face and stomach by two thugs as he walked into his apartment in Rome
Mr Riso was left hospitalised by the savage attack and it is believed he will not be released for another 10 days.
The director said the men hurled homophobic slurs at him as they landed the punches.
In a statement, he explained: ‘Yesterday I was hit three times, and I feel it is a threefold attack: as a homosexual, as a director and as a person.
‘As a homosexual because, while I was being hit, they addressed me with homophobic insults.
‘As a director, because the insults referred to the themes I deal with in my latest film, the possibility for gay couples to form their own family, and because the violence was perpetrated against how I express myself through my work.
He added: ‘Despite the fear and rage that I still feel. I am sure I will continue to do express myself the same way and even more than before.’