A decade ago, Gerard Depardieu played a character inspired by Dominique Strauss-Kahn — the disgraced former head of the International Monetary Fund who was accused of assaulting a hotel maid — in Abel Ferrara’s “Welcome to New York.” In an ironic twist, the iconic French actor has now become the poster boy for the country’s #MeToo movement, having been charged with rape and faced with over a dozen sexual assault allegations.
But the French remain divided over him due to his profile as a mascot of the country’s cinematic history. He’s starred in over 150 films, including classics such as Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s “Cyrano de Bergerac,” François Truffaut’s “Le Dernier Metro” and Bertrand Blier’s “Going Places.” However, the tide is starting to shift — while French President Emmanuel Macron refused to revoke his Legion of Honor, the Paris wax museum went ahead and removed his statue on Dec.
But the French remain divided over him due to his profile as a mascot of the country’s cinematic history. He’s starred in over 150 films, including classics such as Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s “Cyrano de Bergerac,” François Truffaut’s “Le Dernier Metro” and Bertrand Blier’s “Going Places.” However, the tide is starting to shift — while French President Emmanuel Macron refused to revoke his Legion of Honor, the Paris wax museum went ahead and removed his statue on Dec.
- 1/11/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Wild Bunch co-founders Vincent Maraval and Brahim Chioua bid farewell to the legendary company name they created in 2002 at a characteristically rebel-rousing party in Paris bannered “Forever Wild Whatever The Name!” on Thursday night, but have yet to confirm their new name.
Taking place during Unifrance’s Rendez-Vous in Paris, local and international collaborators flocked to the Annette K barge on the banks of the Seine for the event, featuring a Céline Dion tribute act and a set by DJ Kiddy Smile who appeared in Gaspar Noé’s Climax.
The dropping of the name marks the final act in their departure from the pan-European Wild Bunch Ag film group, which was created in 2015 out of the merger of their original French company Wild Bunch and Germany’s Senator and is now majority owned by German entrepreneur Lars Windhorst.
Maraval and Chioua and their 15-person-strong team struck out as a standalone...
Taking place during Unifrance’s Rendez-Vous in Paris, local and international collaborators flocked to the Annette K barge on the banks of the Seine for the event, featuring a Céline Dion tribute act and a set by DJ Kiddy Smile who appeared in Gaspar Noé’s Climax.
The dropping of the name marks the final act in their departure from the pan-European Wild Bunch Ag film group, which was created in 2015 out of the merger of their original French company Wild Bunch and Germany’s Senator and is now majority owned by German entrepreneur Lars Windhorst.
Maraval and Chioua and their 15-person-strong team struck out as a standalone...
- 1/13/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Veteran French actor Gerard Depardieu will remain under formal investigation for alleged rape after losing an appeal.
The decision, which was announced on Thursday (March 10) by the Paris Court of Appeal, said it won’t drop Depardieu’s indictment, which stems from accusations of rape and sexual assault filed to authorities by Charlotte Arnould, an actor and dancer in her early 20’s, in August 2018. The case was initially dropped in 2019 following a lack of evidence, but was reopened in 2020.
Depardieu, who previously said through his lawyer that he “firmly rejected” Arnould’s accusations, has been under formal investigation since Dec. 16, 2020, and filed an appeal in May 2021.
“The Paris Court of Appeal considers that there remains, at this point, some grave and consistent clues that justify that Gerard Depardieu remains indicted,” said the Paris chief prosecutor Remy Heitz in a statement sent to Variety. Following this investigation, the case will either...
The decision, which was announced on Thursday (March 10) by the Paris Court of Appeal, said it won’t drop Depardieu’s indictment, which stems from accusations of rape and sexual assault filed to authorities by Charlotte Arnould, an actor and dancer in her early 20’s, in August 2018. The case was initially dropped in 2019 following a lack of evidence, but was reopened in 2020.
Depardieu, who previously said through his lawyer that he “firmly rejected” Arnould’s accusations, has been under formal investigation since Dec. 16, 2020, and filed an appeal in May 2021.
“The Paris Court of Appeal considers that there remains, at this point, some grave and consistent clues that justify that Gerard Depardieu remains indicted,” said the Paris chief prosecutor Remy Heitz in a statement sent to Variety. Following this investigation, the case will either...
- 3/10/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
In the decade since the sexual assault case of former Imf chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn involving a maid at the Sofitel in Manhattan (charges were later dropped and a settlement reached), panic button systems increasingly have been mandated to protect hotel employees against sexual misconduct, whether through collective bargaining — as negotiated by the New York Hotel Trades Council — or through ordinances in cities including Seattle, Miami, Long Beach and Santa Monica. Now, organized labor has its eyes on more cities in the greater Los Angeles area, including L.A. and Beverly Hills.
Up next: West Hollywood, whose mayor on ...
Up next: West Hollywood, whose mayor on ...
In the decade since the sexual assault case of former Imf chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn involving a maid at the Sofitel in Manhattan (charges were later dropped and a settlement reached), panic button systems increasingly have been mandated to protect hotel employees against sexual misconduct, whether through collective bargaining — as negotiated by the New York Hotel Trades Council — or through ordinances in cities including Seattle, Miami, Long Beach and Santa Monica. Now, organized labor has its eyes on more cities in the greater Los Angeles area, including L.A. and Beverly Hills.
Up next: West Hollywood, whose mayor on ...
Up next: West Hollywood, whose mayor on ...
Harvey Weinstein’s criminal trial began on Monday, with jury selection set to start on Tuesday.
The former film and TV mogul, who pleaded not guilty at his first indictment in August, faces five felony counts: two counts of predatory sexual assault, one count of first-degree criminal sexual assault, one count of first-degree rape and one count of third-degree rape. The charges stem from accusations by former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and a still-unnamed woman for encounters they say occurred in 2006 and and 2013.
Here are the key players to know in the trial, which is expected to last eight weeks at New York County’s Supreme Court in lower Manhattan.
Judge James Burke
Burke is the presiding judge over the trial. He is a former prosecutor who served as the assistant district attorney for New York County until 2001, when he received his judicial appointment by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He has...
The former film and TV mogul, who pleaded not guilty at his first indictment in August, faces five felony counts: two counts of predatory sexual assault, one count of first-degree criminal sexual assault, one count of first-degree rape and one count of third-degree rape. The charges stem from accusations by former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and a still-unnamed woman for encounters they say occurred in 2006 and and 2013.
Here are the key players to know in the trial, which is expected to last eight weeks at New York County’s Supreme Court in lower Manhattan.
Judge James Burke
Burke is the presiding judge over the trial. He is a former prosecutor who served as the assistant district attorney for New York County until 2001, when he received his judicial appointment by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He has...
- 1/6/2020
- by J. Clara Chan
- The Wrap
For the first three decades of his career, Abel Ferrara was a seminal New York filmmaker whose gritty tales of furious pariahs, addicts, and rebels made Martin Scorsese’s “Mean Streets” look like “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.” But Ferrara fled New York after 9/11 and found a new life abroad. On a recent evening in Rome, he stood on the porch of his home, thousands of miles from the city that put him on the map, and contemplated his history of battling for final cut.
“You can’t paint a mustache on a Mona Lisa just because you fucking buy it,” he said, wearing a pair of scruffy headphones as he stared into a Skype session on his laptop. His leathery features and wisps of long white hair gleamed against a shadowy backdrop. “You dig what I mean? I’m working in my own language.”
With Ferrara, meaning can be an elusive thing.
“You can’t paint a mustache on a Mona Lisa just because you fucking buy it,” he said, wearing a pair of scruffy headphones as he stared into a Skype session on his laptop. His leathery features and wisps of long white hair gleamed against a shadowy backdrop. “You dig what I mean? I’m working in my own language.”
With Ferrara, meaning can be an elusive thing.
- 4/27/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
It’s been nearly five years since Abel Ferrara’s “Pasolini,” starring Willem Dafoe as murdered Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini, made its debut at the Venice and Toronto International film festivals in 2014. Now, at last, it’s getting U.S. distribution: Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights to the film and has set its premiere for New York City’s Metrograph on May 10.
Ferrara will be showing a new documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival this April called “The Projectionist,” but his films have barely been seen in the U.S. over the past decade. In the ’90s, Ferrara established himself as a bad-boy auteur with “King of New York,” “Bad Lieutenant,” and “The Addiction.” But a reputation for being difficult has made it harder and harder for his films to get released.
A particular flashpoint in Ferrera’s career was “Welcome to New York,” his film...
Ferrara will be showing a new documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival this April called “The Projectionist,” but his films have barely been seen in the U.S. over the past decade. In the ’90s, Ferrara established himself as a bad-boy auteur with “King of New York,” “Bad Lieutenant,” and “The Addiction.” But a reputation for being difficult has made it harder and harder for his films to get released.
A particular flashpoint in Ferrera’s career was “Welcome to New York,” his film...
- 4/2/2019
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Abel Ferrara's King of New York (1990) and 4:44 Last Day on Earth (2011) are playing April – May, 2019 on Mubi in the United States.In Bad Lieutenant—arguably Abel Ferrara’s most notorious film—Harvey Keitel refers to Jesus Christ as a “rat fuck.” This may be the most glaring instance of something that is blatantly littered across Ferrara’s forty-plus year career: a cockeyed and knowingly sacrilegious approach to his Catholic faith. A nun is brutally raped in Bad Lieutenant (1992) and Keitel is the man sent to find her assailants. Yet he himself is not free of sin—in his own way, he is deeply morally compromised. In one of the film’s most affecting scenes, he lies prostate at the altar of a church, throwing himself on the mercy of a God he feels has abandoned him. He’s far from an outlier among Ferrara’s protagonists, but he...
- 3/11/2019
- MUBI
The Prosecutors Office in Paris has opened a preliminary inquiry into Oscar-nominated French actor Gérard Depardieu after a complaint was filed by a 22-year-old actress alleging that he sexually assaulted and raped her this month at one of his homes in Paris. The news is just breaking in France via national news service FranceInfo.
According to the news service, the unidentified actress filed a complaint Monday claiming rape and sexual assault. The public prosecutor’s office in Aix-en-Provence, where the original complaint was filed, forwarded the case to the Paris-based territorial brigade of the National Gendarmerie.
Depardieu’s lawyer told Agence France Presse that the actor “absolutely denies any attack, any rape.” “I regret the public nature of this process which poses a major prejudice to Gerard Depardieu, whose innocence I am convinced will be recognized,” attorney Herve Termime told Afp.
One of France’s most famous actors, Depardieu was...
According to the news service, the unidentified actress filed a complaint Monday claiming rape and sexual assault. The public prosecutor’s office in Aix-en-Provence, where the original complaint was filed, forwarded the case to the Paris-based territorial brigade of the National Gendarmerie.
Depardieu’s lawyer told Agence France Presse that the actor “absolutely denies any attack, any rape.” “I regret the public nature of this process which poses a major prejudice to Gerard Depardieu, whose innocence I am convinced will be recognized,” attorney Herve Termime told Afp.
One of France’s most famous actors, Depardieu was...
- 8/30/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione and Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The Harvey Weinstein rape case will not be just another celebrity trial, but rather a focal point for a worldwide reckoning on sexual violence and workplace gender discrimination.
Weinstein’s attorneys, led by star litigator Benjamin Brafman, will have their work cut out in finding jurors who can set that context aside and evaluate the case with fresh eyes.
“I think this is almost an impossible case to win for Brafman,” said Bennett Gershman, a professor of law at Pace University in New York, who predicts that the case will not even get to a trial. “Weinstein is the poster boy for sexual predatory conduct. He’s the most reviled sexual predator in memory. There are so many pressures on Weinstein to avoid a trial and take a plea.”
It is, of course, early to say how the case will go. Weinstein faces three counts, including first degree rape, third degree rape,...
Weinstein’s attorneys, led by star litigator Benjamin Brafman, will have their work cut out in finding jurors who can set that context aside and evaluate the case with fresh eyes.
“I think this is almost an impossible case to win for Brafman,” said Bennett Gershman, a professor of law at Pace University in New York, who predicts that the case will not even get to a trial. “Weinstein is the poster boy for sexual predatory conduct. He’s the most reviled sexual predator in memory. There are so many pressures on Weinstein to avoid a trial and take a plea.”
It is, of course, early to say how the case will go. Weinstein faces three counts, including first degree rape, third degree rape,...
- 5/26/2018
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
In moves reminiscent of how the FBI brought down Al Capone over tax evasion, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office is sending out subpoenas focusing on Harvey Weinstein’s finances as part of a grand jury investigation.
While much attention has been given the past month to The Weinstein Company’s bankruptcy proceedings in federal court, several writs have gone out to the producer’s business associates and advisors from Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance Jr.’s team over the past few weeks, Deadline has learned. Casting a wide net, this portion of the effort led by prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon has put the spotlight on Weinstein’s backing of Broadway productions including the musical Finding Neverland and his personal expenses.
“They are following Harvey’s money and investors to connect the dots and make a financial misconduct case,” one insider told Deadline of the flurry of subpoenas coming out of the D.
While much attention has been given the past month to The Weinstein Company’s bankruptcy proceedings in federal court, several writs have gone out to the producer’s business associates and advisors from Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance Jr.’s team over the past few weeks, Deadline has learned. Casting a wide net, this portion of the effort led by prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon has put the spotlight on Weinstein’s backing of Broadway productions including the musical Finding Neverland and his personal expenses.
“They are following Harvey’s money and investors to connect the dots and make a financial misconduct case,” one insider told Deadline of the flurry of subpoenas coming out of the D.
- 5/7/2018
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, Jacqueline Bisset has joined “Honey in the Head,” Freestyle Digital buys “Carter and June” and the editorial employees of Nickelodeon Animation Studio have unionized.
Casting
Jacqueline Bisset is set to join the cast of “Honey in the Head” opposite Nick Nolte, Matt Dillon and Emily Mortimer, Variety has learned exclusively.
She will play the mother of Mortimer’s character, and likes to playfully flirt with Nick Nolte’s character whenever she has the opportunity. “Honey in the Head,” the English-language remake of the 2014 German drama “Honig Im Kopf,” will start production in May in Germany, Italy, and the U.K.
The original movie, produced by Barefoot Films, was directed by and starred Til Schweiger as the son of a retired veteran suffering from Alzheimer’s disease who convinces his widowed father (played by Dieter Hallervorden) to move in with him. The film, co-produced and distributed by Warner Bros.
Casting
Jacqueline Bisset is set to join the cast of “Honey in the Head” opposite Nick Nolte, Matt Dillon and Emily Mortimer, Variety has learned exclusively.
She will play the mother of Mortimer’s character, and likes to playfully flirt with Nick Nolte’s character whenever she has the opportunity. “Honey in the Head,” the English-language remake of the 2014 German drama “Honig Im Kopf,” will start production in May in Germany, Italy, and the U.K.
The original movie, produced by Barefoot Films, was directed by and starred Til Schweiger as the son of a retired veteran suffering from Alzheimer’s disease who convinces his widowed father (played by Dieter Hallervorden) to move in with him. The film, co-produced and distributed by Warner Bros.
- 4/14/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Attorney Benjamin Brafman has spoken out to defend client Harvey Weinstein in an interview, saying, "The casting couch in Hollywood was not invented by Harvey Weinstein." Speaking to the Times of London, Brafman called Weinstein “one of the most interesting people I’ve ever represented.” Brafman has handled legal matters for Jay-z, P Diddy, Michael Jackson, pharmaceutical entrepreneur Martin Shkreli, and Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former International Monetary Fund head…...
- 3/3/2018
- Deadline
Revelations about Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual assault jolted the film industry around the world. Yet even as victims continue to speak out, much of the community has been stunned into another silence.
Generations of former Weinstein employees, including those who toiled on his staff during the seminal Miramax days, refuse to speak publicly for fear that the association could make them complicit. Others who collaborated with Weinstein — an expansive Venn diagram of publicists, sales agents, programmers, and their institutions — remain wary of saying anything that could somehow drag them further into his orbit.
The Cannes Film Festival, where Weinstein was the steward for Palme d’Or winners “sex, lies and videotape” and “Pulp Fiction,” is no exception. Taking precedence over any other conversation, the world’s most revered gathering of international cineastes prefer to fixate on the art form. Cannes didn’t create Weinstein, but it was the...
Generations of former Weinstein employees, including those who toiled on his staff during the seminal Miramax days, refuse to speak publicly for fear that the association could make them complicit. Others who collaborated with Weinstein — an expansive Venn diagram of publicists, sales agents, programmers, and their institutions — remain wary of saying anything that could somehow drag them further into his orbit.
The Cannes Film Festival, where Weinstein was the steward for Palme d’Or winners “sex, lies and videotape” and “Pulp Fiction,” is no exception. Taking precedence over any other conversation, the world’s most revered gathering of international cineastes prefer to fixate on the art form. Cannes didn’t create Weinstein, but it was the...
- 10/23/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The Libertine, a movie about French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn starring Johnny Depp, and was once described as Who’S Afraid Of Virginia Wool? meets The Wolf Of Wall Street, sounds like too tantalizing a project not to be interested in. Well for those of you who are you’ll just have to wait like good boys and girls, because Virginia Woolf isn’t meeting anybody as the project has... Read More...
- 3/21/2017
- by Matt Rooney
- JoBlo.com
Ryan Lambie Nov 24, 2016
Maverick director Abel Ferrara talks to us about his career in movies, from Driller Killer to Bad Lieutenant and Body Snatchers...
When British distributor Vipco put out full-age ads depicting a particularly bloody scene from Driller Killer, the movie became an unwitting part of the 'video nasty' moral flap of the early 80s. Suddenly, director Abel Ferrara's low-budget, quick-and-dirty horror-arthouse-drama about a young artist going crazy in Manhattan was lumped in with such films as Cannibal Holocaust, Last House On The Left and the tawdry SS Experiment Camp.
See related Yonderland: saluting a brilliant fantasy comedy Yonderland series 3 episode 6 review: Swapsies Yonderland series 3 episode 5 review: The Negatus Redemption Yonderland series 3 episode 4 review: Boo
Banned from 1984 until 1999 (when it was released with nearly a minute of cuts), Driller Killer is about to get a restored, 4K edition courtesy of Arrow Films, which presents the original theatrical version...
Maverick director Abel Ferrara talks to us about his career in movies, from Driller Killer to Bad Lieutenant and Body Snatchers...
When British distributor Vipco put out full-age ads depicting a particularly bloody scene from Driller Killer, the movie became an unwitting part of the 'video nasty' moral flap of the early 80s. Suddenly, director Abel Ferrara's low-budget, quick-and-dirty horror-arthouse-drama about a young artist going crazy in Manhattan was lumped in with such films as Cannibal Holocaust, Last House On The Left and the tawdry SS Experiment Camp.
See related Yonderland: saluting a brilliant fantasy comedy Yonderland series 3 episode 6 review: Swapsies Yonderland series 3 episode 5 review: The Negatus Redemption Yonderland series 3 episode 4 review: Boo
Banned from 1984 until 1999 (when it was released with nearly a minute of cuts), Driller Killer is about to get a restored, 4K edition courtesy of Arrow Films, which presents the original theatrical version...
- 11/21/2016
- Den of Geek
While we eat “doubles” we talk one on one with selected filmmakers…
Great to be back for my fourth year at the Trinidad + Tobago Film Festival.
Jamaicans going to watch Jamaican shorts. Photo by actor director Tony Hendricks
My first night, I went with my new favorite delegation, whom I already wrote about in my Tiff It’s a Wrap blog, the group of Jamaican filmmakers to see their five shorts showing here at ttff as part of the Jafta Propella initiative to put money into the production and distribution of shorts (rather than in yet-another film festival). The range of stories and storytelling styles was a tasting menu of hors d’oevres for the festival.
Great to be back for my fourth year at the Trinidad + Tobago Film Festival.
Jamaicans going to watch Jamaican shorts. Photo by actor director Tony Hendricks
My first night, I went with my new favorite delegation, whom I already wrote about in my Tiff It’s a Wrap blog, the group of Jamaican filmmakers to see their five shorts showing here at ttff as part of the Jafta Propella initiative to put money into the production and distribution of shorts (rather than in yet-another film festival). The range of stories and storytelling styles was a tasting menu of hors d’oevres for the festival.
- 9/29/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Despite his personal turmoil, Johnny Depp will move forward with his plans to star in a film about sexual assault loosely based on the 2011 Dominique Strauss-Kahn scandal, People has confirmed. Director Brett Ratner said he is moving forward with his decision to cast Depp, 52, in the upcoming film The Libertine, amid the actor's ongoing divorce battle with Amber Heard. "Johnny is absolutely still attached. Brett is very excited to work with him," a rep for Ratner told People. The Libertine is inspired by the 2011 Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault scandal involving a New York hotel maid. Criminal charges were filed and...
- 6/11/2016
- by Jodi Guglielmi, @JodiGug3
- PEOPLE.com
Despite his personal turmoil, Johnny Depp will move forward with his plans to star in a film about sexual assault loosely based on the 2011 Dominique Strauss-Kahn scandal, People has confirmed. Director Brett Ratner said he is moving forward with his decision to cast Depp, 52, in the upcoming film The Libertine, amid the actor's ongoing divorce battle with Amber Heard. "Johnny is absolutely still attached. Brett is very excited to work with him," a rep for Ratner told People. The Libertine is inspired by the 2011 Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault scandal involving a New York hotel maid. Criminal charges were filed and...
- 6/11/2016
- by Jodi Guglielmi, @JodiGug3
- PEOPLE.com
It's Murtada reporting about Cannes, but sadly not from Cannes.
The main competition jury at Wednesday's photo call
The first day of Cannes always brings news of intriguing collaborations as projects are announced for the sidebar film market. Like Joaquin Phoenix working with Lynne Ramsay. Or Colin Farrell reteaming with The Lobster director Yorgos Lanthimos. Errr… Johnny Depp making another movie called The Libertine? With Brett Ratner? About Dominique Strauss-Kahn?? Run away, Marion!
However the two news items that got this reporter most excited are :
Isabelle Huppert in Elle
Sony Classics has acquired main competition entry Elle, directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Isabelle Huppert. You know the same company that got Cate Blanchett and Julianne Moore their best actress Oscars and Michael Haneke and Asghar Farhadi multiple nominations and foreign language wins recently. So our excitement knows no bounds. We are 9 days away from reviews and reactions to...
The main competition jury at Wednesday's photo call
The first day of Cannes always brings news of intriguing collaborations as projects are announced for the sidebar film market. Like Joaquin Phoenix working with Lynne Ramsay. Or Colin Farrell reteaming with The Lobster director Yorgos Lanthimos. Errr… Johnny Depp making another movie called The Libertine? With Brett Ratner? About Dominique Strauss-Kahn?? Run away, Marion!
However the two news items that got this reporter most excited are :
Isabelle Huppert in Elle
Sony Classics has acquired main competition entry Elle, directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Isabelle Huppert. You know the same company that got Cate Blanchett and Julianne Moore their best actress Oscars and Michael Haneke and Asghar Farhadi multiple nominations and foreign language wins recently. So our excitement knows no bounds. We are 9 days away from reviews and reactions to...
- 5/11/2016
- by Murtada Elfadl
- FilmExperience
A24 has acquired the U.S. rights to Colin Farrell drama “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” at Cannes Film Festival, TheWrap has learned. In February, the film distribution company acquired the U.S. rights to “The Lobster” starring Farrell and Rachel Weisz amid financial problems within Alchemy, the company that picked up the film at Cannes last year. Yorgos Lanthimos, who also directed “The Lobster,” will helm the project. Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe of Element Pictures are producing the film, while Film4 and New Sparta Films financed its development. Also Read: Johnny Depp, Brett Ratner Team on 'The Libertine,...
- 5/11/2016
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the rights to Paul Verhoeven‘s new drama “Elle,” the studio announced Wednesday. The film was written by David Birke based on Phillipe Djian’s novel “Oh…” It will screen in competition at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. The film stars Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Charles Berling, Virginie Efira and Anne Consigny. It is produced by Saïd Ben Saïd of Sbs Productions and Michel Merkt, and co-produced by France 2 Cinémas. Sbs International is handling sales. Also Read: Johnny Depp, Brett Ratner Teaming on 'The Libertine,' Movie Inspired by Dominique Strauss-Kahn Scandal Michèle (Huppert) seems indestructible.
- 5/11/2016
- by Joe Otterson
- The Wrap
While the name Brett Ratner tends to draw chuckles, let’s give credit where credit is due. While his directing track record is spotty and insubstantial at best, he’s quietly been a producer of some note, with movies like “The Revenant,” “I Saw The Light,” and even Warren Beatty‘s upcoming Howard Hughes movie, bearing his name. […]
The post Johnny Depp To Star In Brett Ratner’s Dominique Strauss-Kahn Inspired ‘The Libertine’ appeared first on The Playlist.
The post Johnny Depp To Star In Brett Ratner’s Dominique Strauss-Kahn Inspired ‘The Libertine’ appeared first on The Playlist.
- 5/11/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard are set to star in the Brett Ratner-directed "The Libertine".
Inspired by former Imf managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the Ben Kopit scripted tale centers on a French diplomat (Depp) who is accused of sexual assault and put under house arrest.
In real life, the case against Strauss-Kahn fell apart due to the questions surrounding the credibility of the maid and a lack of physical evidence. A later civil suit was settled out of court.
Despite the same title and involvement of Depp, the film has no connection with the 2004 period drama "The Libertine".
Source: THR...
Inspired by former Imf managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the Ben Kopit scripted tale centers on a French diplomat (Depp) who is accused of sexual assault and put under house arrest.
In real life, the case against Strauss-Kahn fell apart due to the questions surrounding the credibility of the maid and a lack of physical evidence. A later civil suit was settled out of court.
Despite the same title and involvement of Depp, the film has no connection with the 2004 period drama "The Libertine".
Source: THR...
- 5/11/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Brett Ratner has announced that his next directorial effort will be The Libertine, a film loosely based on the Dominique Strauss-Kahn scandal. Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard are both set to star in the movie, and Ratner will be directing from a script by Ben Kopit. Described as "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? meets The Wolf Of Wall Street," the comedic take on the 2011... Read More...
- 5/11/2016
- by Jesse Giroux
- JoBlo.com
Marion Cotillard will also join her Public Enemies co-star in The Libertine, to be directed by Brett Ratner
Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard are set to star in a new Dominique Strauss-Kahn-inspired drama for director Brett Ratner.
The pair, who previously co-starred in Michael Mann’s 2009 thriller Public Enemies, will take on lead roles in The Libertine. The story focuses on a French diplomat put under house arrest after accusations of sexual assault.
Continue reading...
Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard are set to star in a new Dominique Strauss-Kahn-inspired drama for director Brett Ratner.
The pair, who previously co-starred in Michael Mann’s 2009 thriller Public Enemies, will take on lead roles in The Libertine. The story focuses on a French diplomat put under house arrest after accusations of sexual assault.
Continue reading...
- 5/11/2016
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
Johnny Depp is set to star in “The Libertine,” a movie inspired by the Dominique Strauss-Kahn scandal, that will be directed by Brett Ratner, TheWrap has learned. Ben Kopit wrote the script, which offers a comedic take on the international incident that saw Strauss-Kahn resign as managing director of the International Monetary Fund following allegations that he assaulted a hotel maid. A criminal case ultimately fell apart, though the economist settled a civil suit out of court. The scandal was previously depicted in Abel Ferrara‘s drama “Welcome to New York,” which saw Gerard Depardieu play a character based on Strauss-Kahn.
- 5/11/2016
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Brett Ratner reveals he has found his next directing project. It’s called The Libertine, and Johnny Depp is attached to a Ben Kopit script, with Lloyd Braun and Andrew Mittman producing. The focus is a powerful French politician who endures house arrest in a luxury NYC apartment while awaiting trial for sexual assault against a hotel maid. It is loosely based on the 2011 incident involving French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Warner Bros is involved and it…...
- 5/11/2016
- Deadline
Diving into the hundreds of new theatrical releases, including large chunks of grueling, gluttonous marathons through world cinema’s greatest offerings from a variety of film festivals, and coming to a reasonable list of selections demonstrating what one deems to be ‘the best,’ remains an utterly self-involved, sometimes fruitless tradition. Who, after all, can rightly determine what is indeed ‘best’ in an art form where one person’s trash is another’s treasure? Personally, I prefer to compile a list of ‘favorite’ things, items which remain meaningless unless you put stock in its author’s general tastes.
Amidst the incessant jabbering of awards season exaggeration, it’s difficult not to be swayed by the most topical, most shiny and brand new theatrical releases courting awards voters (which is why I felt it necessary to see Inarritu’s new film twice). Nearly half of my selections appeared on my mid-year list of favored theatrical releases,...
Amidst the incessant jabbering of awards season exaggeration, it’s difficult not to be swayed by the most topical, most shiny and brand new theatrical releases courting awards voters (which is why I felt it necessary to see Inarritu’s new film twice). Nearly half of my selections appeared on my mid-year list of favored theatrical releases,...
- 12/14/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Creed
MGM has released a new photo from Ryan Coogler's "Creed," the upcoming "Rocky" spin-off film which launched a trailer to great fanfare a few weeks ago. Michael B. Jordan stars as the son of Apollo Creed in the film and seeks the help of his dad's former rival Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) to train him. "Creed" opens November 25th. [Source: Collider]
Kursk
Martin Zandvliet ("Land of Mine") has been set to direct the fact-based drama "Kursk" at EuropaCorp. Robert Rodat ("Saving Private Ryan") is penning the script based on Robert Moore's book "A Time To Die".
The true story follows the multi-national rescue attempt of the sunken K-141 Kursk - a Russian nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine that experienced a series of sudden explosions. [Source: Deadline]
Jack Goes Home
Rory Culkin ("Igby Goes Down") and Lin Shaye ("Insidious") are set to join the family drama/horror flick "Jack Goes Home" which marks...
MGM has released a new photo from Ryan Coogler's "Creed," the upcoming "Rocky" spin-off film which launched a trailer to great fanfare a few weeks ago. Michael B. Jordan stars as the son of Apollo Creed in the film and seeks the help of his dad's former rival Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) to train him. "Creed" opens November 25th. [Source: Collider]
Kursk
Martin Zandvliet ("Land of Mine") has been set to direct the fact-based drama "Kursk" at EuropaCorp. Robert Rodat ("Saving Private Ryan") is penning the script based on Robert Moore's book "A Time To Die".
The true story follows the multi-national rescue attempt of the sunken K-141 Kursk - a Russian nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine that experienced a series of sudden explosions. [Source: Deadline]
Jack Goes Home
Rory Culkin ("Igby Goes Down") and Lin Shaye ("Insidious") are set to join the family drama/horror flick "Jack Goes Home" which marks...
- 8/18/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Warner Bros is producing The Libertine, a ‘comedic dramatisation’ about the former International Monetary Fund chief and his alleged sexual assault of a hotel maid
The scandal surrounding former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his alleged sexual assault of a New York hotel maid is to be the subject of a new Hollywood film.
Described as a “comedic dramatisation”, The Libertine is being put together by Warner Bros and is based on a screenplay by newcomer Ben Kopit, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film follows Abel Ferrara’s 2014 film Welcome to New York, which starred Gérard Depardieu as a character inspired by Strauss-Kahn and Jacqueline Bisset as his wife.
Continue reading...
The scandal surrounding former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his alleged sexual assault of a New York hotel maid is to be the subject of a new Hollywood film.
Described as a “comedic dramatisation”, The Libertine is being put together by Warner Bros and is based on a screenplay by newcomer Ben Kopit, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film follows Abel Ferrara’s 2014 film Welcome to New York, which starred Gérard Depardieu as a character inspired by Strauss-Kahn and Jacqueline Bisset as his wife.
Continue reading...
- 8/17/2015
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
The scandal involving French economist Dominique Strauss-Kahn is getting the movie treatment via Warner Bros., which has pre-emptively picked up the spec script titled The Libertine by Ben Kopit. The deal also includes a blind script component in which Kopit will write another script for the studio in the near future. No producer is attached. Strauss-Kahn was the managing director of the International Monetary Fund until 2011 when he resigned following allegations he had assaulted a hotel maid. The economist was placed under house arrest but the case fell apart due to the questions surrounding the credibility
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- 8/14/2015
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Picking the best movies that come out in any given year is no easy feat. With over 800 movies released theatrically, there’s plenty to digest. As we reach the halfway point of the year, we decided to publish a list of our favourite movies thus far, in hopes that our readers can catch up on some of the films they might have missed out on. Below, you shall find the list of the top 30 films of 2015 to date, a list that ranges from independent horror films to documentary to foreign films and so much more. Here is part one of our three part list.
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25. Predestination
Effective time travel films must be able to set clear, established rules and be a means of achieving greater, emotional weight . Without the two, a film can be eviscerated by plot holes or become an unruly, empty spectacle. Predestination, an adaptation of an Robert A. Heinlein’s short story,...
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25. Predestination
Effective time travel films must be able to set clear, established rules and be a means of achieving greater, emotional weight . Without the two, a film can be eviscerated by plot holes or become an unruly, empty spectacle. Predestination, an adaptation of an Robert A. Heinlein’s short story,...
- 6/3/2015
- by Staff
- SoundOnSight
Official Selection for 2015 line-up completed with extra titles for Competition, Un Certain Regard, Special Screening and Midnight Screening strands.Click here for the full line-up
The 68th Cannes Film Festival has completed its Official Selection. Headlining the additions are two more Competition titles, taking the number of films in the running for the Palme d’Or up to 19.
The first is Chronic by Mexican director Michel Franco, starring Tim Roth and Bitsie Tulloch (Grimm). The film marks Franco’s English-language debut and centres on a depressed nurse practitioner who assists terminally ill patients and tries to reconnect with the family he abandoned. Wild Bunch handles sales
Franco and Roth decided to work together after meeting at Cannes in 2012, where the film-maker’s previous feature After Lucia won Un Certain Regard and Roth served on the jury.
The Mexican filmmaker was also in the running for Cannes’ Golden Camera in 2009 with his debut feature, Daniel and Ana.
The...
The 68th Cannes Film Festival has completed its Official Selection. Headlining the additions are two more Competition titles, taking the number of films in the running for the Palme d’Or up to 19.
The first is Chronic by Mexican director Michel Franco, starring Tim Roth and Bitsie Tulloch (Grimm). The film marks Franco’s English-language debut and centres on a depressed nurse practitioner who assists terminally ill patients and tries to reconnect with the family he abandoned. Wild Bunch handles sales
Franco and Roth decided to work together after meeting at Cannes in 2012, where the film-maker’s previous feature After Lucia won Un Certain Regard and Roth served on the jury.
The Mexican filmmaker was also in the running for Cannes’ Golden Camera in 2009 with his debut feature, Daniel and Ana.
The...
- 4/23/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Welcome to New York
Written by Abel Ferrara & Christ Zois
Directed by Abel Ferrara
USA, 2014
There are times during Abel Ferrara’s Welcome to New York when you can feel a defiant filmmaker pushing back against the moralizing status quo. When he gives voice to trampled idealism and unapologetic carnality. Those fleeting moments of clarity make the rest of this disjointed, unfocused mess all the more painful. Cinema owes a debt of gratitude to auteurs like Ferrara and Gérard Depardieu, but there’s simply no dramatic necessity for this film to exist.
When “America the Beautiful” serenades an opening credit montage featuring stacks of cash and glistening gold bars you know that subtlety is out the window. Welcome to New York features lots of cinematic spaghetti; different genres and tones thrown against the wall with very little of it sticking. Social satire, melodrama, cinéma vérité, and tragic monologues make for...
Written by Abel Ferrara & Christ Zois
Directed by Abel Ferrara
USA, 2014
There are times during Abel Ferrara’s Welcome to New York when you can feel a defiant filmmaker pushing back against the moralizing status quo. When he gives voice to trampled idealism and unapologetic carnality. Those fleeting moments of clarity make the rest of this disjointed, unfocused mess all the more painful. Cinema owes a debt of gratitude to auteurs like Ferrara and Gérard Depardieu, but there’s simply no dramatic necessity for this film to exist.
When “America the Beautiful” serenades an opening credit montage featuring stacks of cash and glistening gold bars you know that subtlety is out the window. Welcome to New York features lots of cinematic spaghetti; different genres and tones thrown against the wall with very little of it sticking. Social satire, melodrama, cinéma vérité, and tragic monologues make for...
- 4/2/2015
- by J.R. Kinnard
- SoundOnSight
I’m not the world’s biggest Abel Ferrara fan, but even I must admit that the 64-year-old director of Bad Lieutenant, King of New York, and Ms. 45 — he of the extended stretches of cataclysmic addiction and self-destruction and career implosion — seems like the ideal person to take on the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case. Strauss-Kahn (or Dsk as he’s more commonly known) was the former Imf head and budding leftist political savior busted for allegedly raping a maid in a New York hotel in 2011. Though the charges were later dropped, the case and its fallout uncovered a world of almost unimaginable debauchery and scuzziness, of international high-level sex rings and sex parties and, as one later accusation disturbingly (but memorably) put it, “aggravated pimping.” This is not the kind of material for a stately biopic or a political drama. This is nasty, strange business — perfect for Ferrara, whose work often...
- 3/28/2015
- by Bilge Ebiri
- Vulture
This is a reprint of our review from the 2014 Fantasia Film Festival. This is a review of the longer, 125-minute unrated version of the movie, not the shorter, R-rated cut being released by IFC Films. "The film is inspired by a court case, the public stages of which have been filmed, broadcast, reported, and commented on throughout the media worldwide. Nonetheless, the characters and all the sequences depicting their private lives remain entirely fictional." So reads the caveat in the press notes and trailer for Abel Ferrara's "Welcome To New York," a film inspired by the headlines made by former Imf chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was accused of sexually assaulting a hotel worker In New York City in 2011. Whether or not the warning is legally obligated or intended to prepare viewers for the depths into which this film plunges, it seems unnecessary. While the broad outline of the Strauss-Kahn...
- 3/25/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
“If women didn’t exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning.” —Aristotele OnassisFor over forty years now Abel Ferrara’s cinema has spewed out from the gangrenous wounds of our civilization of images. Never mind how ugly it was, it was always in your face. And unapologetically so. The damnation of life, as low as it could possibly get, and the existential dirt polite society and cinema sweep under the carpet have been Ferrara’s carnal muses. If crime and the underworld were often his preferred milieu, it never was out of teen-aged fascination for the dark side of society but because there he senses and lenses the bio-illogical matrix of our lives: the law of the jungle rationalized into the language of the Bible. Redemption in his cinema is never a concrete possibility, it functioned as a sort of moral mirage for lost souls—the...
- 3/24/2015
- by Celluloid Liberation Front
- MUBI
Director Abel Ferrara issued a cease and desist letter last week addressed to IFC Films and its global distributor Wild Bunch against the U.S. release of his film Welcome to New York. The film, inspired by the trial of former Imf chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, is slated for release by IFC on March 27 in theaters and on VOD. The controversy has been brewing since last fall, when Ferrara first learned of IFC's intention to theatrically release the same version they had intended for Showtime, rather than his original director's cut. In response to the letter, IFC told THR
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- 3/23/2015
- by Ariston Anderson
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Read More: Abel Ferrara Battles for Director's Cut of 'Welcome to New York,' But Here's the Real Story In early March, director Abel Ferrara lashed out against distributor IFC Films for its plans to release a director-unapproved version of "Welcome to New York," his lightly fictionalized portrait of Dominique Strauss-Kahn with Gerard Depardieu in the title role. Now Ferrara has issued further statements through a representative, along with his original remarks, and sent a cease and desist letter to the distributor, with IFC Films responding with a statement of its own. As Indiewire reported, IFC's deal with Wild Bunch for the film included an R-rated version of the movie, which allowed the company to license "Welcome to New York" to Showtime. After IFC requested the cut from Ferrara and he declined, Wild Bunch provided its own cut, which led to the director's protestations. "I will defend the right...
- 3/21/2015
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Last summer, I caught the original cut of Abel Ferrara's "Welcome To New York," a fictionalized take on the scandal surrounding former Imf chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn who was accused in 2011 of sexually assaulting a hotel worker In New York City. The director's film is a provocative piece of work, and a very, very good film, one I called "an unflinching portrait of a monster." Indeed, one of the film's crucial scenes comes from the assault, which makes it clear a crime was committed and doesn't shy away from the horrific nature of the act. But it would appear that that key sequence and others have been reshaped and edited for the U.S. release without Ferrara's permission. As I noted when the film's U.S trailer dropped, the running time for the movie had been trimmed from Ferrara's 125 minutes to 108 minutes, clearly indicating that the director's prior concerns that...
- 3/20/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Last year, Abel Ferrara called the proposed U.S. release of an unapproved version of his Dominique Strauss-Kahn film Welcome to New York a “corporate assault” on “the freedom of the artist.” IFC Films, the U.S. distributor of the movie, is moving forward regardless, and recently announced a March 27 theatrical and VOD release of the edited film. In response, Ferrara issued a cease and desist letter last Friday addressed to IFC Films in New York and to the film's global distributor Wild Bunch in Paris. The letter claims that the edited version violates his contractual right of final cut and goes way beyond R-
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- 3/17/2015
- by Ariston Anderson
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Abel Ferrara, the rascally perennial New York filmmaker behind seminal tales of urban grime like "Bad Lieutenant" and "The Funeral," has never taken kindly to the idea of compromise. At the same time, the unruly, anarchic sensibility visible in his movies also colors his business dealings, to the point where the legitimacy of his routine complaints with collaborators are difficult to discern. Read More: Sex, Soul Searching & a Naked Gerard Depardieu: Abel Ferrara's Dsk Drama 'Welcome to New York' is Bonkers Such is the case with "Welcome to New York," Ferrara's gleefully vulgar portrait of disgraced French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn, which IFC Films releases in the U.S. on March 27. The movie, which stars Gerard Depardieu in the lead role, premiered at an unofficial screening in Cannes last May at the same time that it became available on VOD platforms in France. But it wasn't until the fall,...
- 3/5/2015
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Abel Ferrara has long been a filmmaker of transgression and contention, and his latest lewd character study is no exception. Much like a French Wolf of Wall Street, Welcome to New York is based on the life of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a French Presidential candidate and International Monetary Fund head, in everything but name due to legal issues. Strauss-Kahn was accused of sexual assault while visiting New York City, and Welcome to New York finds Gerard Depardieu in what could be called a career role, depraved, powerful, and physical.
Justine Smith said of Depardieu’s work at Fantasia Film Fest 2014, “Gerard Depardieu has perhaps never given a performance so physical and guttural, as he engages in a variety of sexual acts with prostitutes and employees. His corpulent form transcends mere parody of excessive appetites and becomes a strangely beautiful form of writhing animalism,” adding about the film, “Welcome to New York...
Justine Smith said of Depardieu’s work at Fantasia Film Fest 2014, “Gerard Depardieu has perhaps never given a performance so physical and guttural, as he engages in a variety of sexual acts with prostitutes and employees. His corpulent form transcends mere parody of excessive appetites and becomes a strangely beautiful form of writhing animalism,” adding about the film, “Welcome to New York...
- 3/2/2015
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
Acclaimed french actor Gérard Depardieu is fully embracing his bad boy tabloid image in Abel Ferrara's "Welcome to New York." Inspired by the scandal surrounding French politician and economist Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the film stars Depardieua as a possible candidate for the Presidency of France who is arrested after being accused of raping a maid at his luxury New York City hotel. IFC Films has released a new trailer for the drama that teases all of the dark debauchery Depardieu's character has in store for audiences. "Welcome to New York" will be released theatrically and On Demand on March 27 after being cut down from its 125 minute runtime. Although audiences won't be getting the longer version that screened at festivals last year, the new trailer still guarantees a drama full of intriguing scandal and real world politics. The film co-stars Jacqueline Bisset, Marie Mouté and Drena De Niro. Watch the trailer.
- 3/2/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
While it might not be the role he was born to play, Gérard Depardieu's portrayal of Dominique Strauss-Kahn (or rather, for legal reasons, a character "inspired" by the disgraced Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund), is the role that's perfect for him right now. He's got the look, the attitude, and party hard boozy credentials and he goes full throttle in Abel Ferrara's "Welcome To New York." A new, U.S. trailer is here, but be forewarned, the movie has been cut from the international version. As you might recall, last fall Ferrara revealed that IFC Films was pressuring him to cut down the film, and he was not happy about it. “F— them and F— IFC and the Center. Any filmmaker that's worth anything should go and burn that theater down," the director said at the time. "And as for my brother and sister filmmakers, don...
- 3/2/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
As anticipation continues to grow ahead of the world premiere of 50 Shades Of Grey in Berlin on Wednesday, the racy film is raising everything from eyebrows to hackles — and more — internationally.
Some have taken issue with the film’s perceived legitimization of abusive relationships. In the UK, protestors from a group calling itself 50 Shades Is Domestic Abuse are planning on disrupting the London premiere of the film on Thursday. “The story line is a classic portrayal of an abuser: manipulating, coercing his partner into all sorts of things she doesn’t want to do and essentially gaining a lot of control,” group leader Natalie Collins told local TV station London Live. She admitted to not having seen the film yet.
Elsewhere, director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s adaptation is running into choppy waters in some socially conservative markets. Malaysia and Indonesia, where sexually graphic fare historically has been problematic, have banned the film.
Some have taken issue with the film’s perceived legitimization of abusive relationships. In the UK, protestors from a group calling itself 50 Shades Is Domestic Abuse are planning on disrupting the London premiere of the film on Thursday. “The story line is a classic portrayal of an abuser: manipulating, coercing his partner into all sorts of things she doesn’t want to do and essentially gaining a lot of control,” group leader Natalie Collins told local TV station London Live. She admitted to not having seen the film yet.
Elsewhere, director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s adaptation is running into choppy waters in some socially conservative markets. Malaysia and Indonesia, where sexually graphic fare historically has been problematic, have banned the film.
- 2/10/2015
- by Ali Jaafar
- Deadline
Economist and international party boy Dominique Strauss-Kahn is facing allegations of "aggravated pimping in an organized group." The former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, 65, lost his high-paying, high-powered job after a sex scandal in 2011. Strauss-Kahn was accused of accosting a hotel maid and gang-raping a prostitute on a trip to New York. The French economist denied the allegations, and they were eventually dropped. But an investigation into an alleged prostitution ring in France led to the pimping charges in May 2011. According to The New York Times, Strauss-Kahn is charged with "aggravated procurement in a group" (aka pimping). French...
- 2/3/2015
- by Jeff Nelson, @nelson_jeff
- PEOPLE.com
Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Jacqueline Bisset, Paul Calderon, Paul Hipp, Shanyn Leigh, Amy Ferguson, Drena De Niro, Ronald Guttman | Written by Abel Ferrara, Christ Zois | Directed by Abel Ferrara
Review by Andrew McArthur
Abel Ferrara‘s latest work Welcome to New York is a film so unflinching in its portrait of excess and moral-corruption that it makes The Wolf of Wall Street look like it was produced by Cbeebies.
Devereaux (Gerard Depardieu), one of the world’s most powerful businessmen is filled with a gratuitous sexual hunger – a man so entangled in his lifestyle of power, sex and money that he believes everything is his. This is until Deveraux sexually assaults a hotel maid in New York and finds himself arrested, on the verge of being stripped of this power. Ferrara uses the high-profile case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn as his factual basis for this slow-burning piece filled with excess and debauchery.
Review by Andrew McArthur
Abel Ferrara‘s latest work Welcome to New York is a film so unflinching in its portrait of excess and moral-corruption that it makes The Wolf of Wall Street look like it was produced by Cbeebies.
Devereaux (Gerard Depardieu), one of the world’s most powerful businessmen is filled with a gratuitous sexual hunger – a man so entangled in his lifestyle of power, sex and money that he believes everything is his. This is until Deveraux sexually assaults a hotel maid in New York and finds himself arrested, on the verge of being stripped of this power. Ferrara uses the high-profile case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn as his factual basis for this slow-burning piece filled with excess and debauchery.
- 10/19/2014
- by Guest
- Nerdly
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