Rome - The renowned director Abel Ferrara has attacked IFC Films and production company Wild Bunch over creating an edited version of his new film Welcome to New York. The controversial film was inspired by the Dominique Strauss Kahn case and stars Gerard Depardieu in the lead role.

 The director’s version of the film was released on the internet in 2014 and garnered rave reviews from many critics at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. However, according to Ferrara, his film has been re-cut without his permission prior to its release in the United States on Friday March 27.

 “As a filmmaker and a human being, I detest the destruction of my film Welcome to New York now being distributed by IFC and Wild Bunch,” said the director in a statement. “I will defend the right of free speech till the end and I ask all who believe, as I do, that they not support the showing of this film, on their networks, in their theatres, or wherever.”

 One of the most fundamental changes from the original is the portrayal of the rape which is crucial to the overall film. In the re-edited version, the scene is pictured as a flashback which according to Ferrara, is an unacceptable change.

 “The version being released in the U.S. may lead viewers to think that maybe she imagined it.  It does not respect the woman who was raped at all and the fact that my name is on this film is a crime.”

 In response to a letter from Mr Ferrara telling the company to abandon the re-cut, IFC Films offered a staunch defence of their position and claimed that the director refused to respond to an offer to make an R rated version of the film.

 It’s a core mission of IFC Films to support and champion our filmmakers and we regret that Mr. Ferrara has refused to engage with us, said IFC films in a statement. “We’d have welcomed  the opportunity to work more closely with him on the film, if he’d been willing. Any edits made to the original version of Welcome to New York were made by Wild Bunch, since Mr. Ferrara did not respond to our offer.”