[Vision2020] Disney Forbidding Distribution of Film That Criticizes Bush

[thansen@moscow.com]

Yep.

One minute little Johnny is drawing funny little caricatures of Bubba Dubya.  
The next minute he's praying for a call from the governor.

Book 'em, Dano.

Tom Hansen

> 
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
>       May 5, 2004
>       Disney Forbidding Distribution of Film That Criticizes Bush
>       By JIM RUTENBERG
> 
>       ASHINGTON, May 4 - The Walt Disney Company is blocking its Miramax
> division from distributing a new documentary by Michael Moore that harshly
> criticizes President Bush, executives at both Disney and Miramax said Tuesday.
> 
>       The film, "Fahrenheit 911," links Mr. Bush and prominent Saudis -
> including the family of Osama bin Laden - and criticizes Mr. Bush's actions
> before and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
> 
>       Disney, which bought Miramax more than a decade ago, has a contractual
> agreement with the Miramax principals, Bob and Harvey Weinstein, allowing it 
to
> prevent the company from distributing films under certain circumstances, like 
an
> excessive budget or an NC-17 rating.
> 
>       Executives at Miramax, who became principal investors in Mr. Moore's
> project last spring, do not believe that this is one of those cases, people
> involved in the production of the film said. If a compromise is not reached,
> these people said, the matter could go to mediation, though neither side is 
said
> to want to travel that route.
> 
>       In a statement, Matthew Hiltzik, a spokesman for Miramax, said: "We're
> discussing the issue with Disney. We're looking at all of our options and look
> forward to resolving this amicably."
> 
>       But Disney executives indicated that they would not budge from their
> position forbidding Miramax to be the distributor of the film in North 
America.
> Overseas rights have been sold to a number of companies, executives said.
> 
>       "We advised both the agent and Miramax in May of 2003 that the film 
would
> not be distributed by Miramax," said Zenia Mucha, a company spokeswoman,
> referring to Mr. Moore's agent. "That decision stands."
> 
>       Disney came under heavy criticism from conservatives last May after the
> disclosure that Miramax had agreed to finance the film when Icon Productions,
> Mel Gibson's company, backed out.
> 
>       Mr. Moore's agent, Ari Emanuel, said Michael D. Eisner, Disney's chief
> executive, asked him last spring to pull out of the deal with Miramax. Mr.
> Emanuel said Mr. Eisner expressed particular concern that it would endanger 
tax
> breaks Disney receives for its theme park, hotels and other ventures in 
Florida,
> where Mr. Bush's brother, Jeb, is governor.
> 
>       "Michael Eisner asked me not to sell this movie to Harvey Weinstein; 
that
> doesn't mean I listened to him," Mr. Emanuel said. "He definitely indicated
> there were tax incentives he was getting for the Disney corporation and that's
> why he didn't want me to sell it to Miramax. He didn't want a Disney company
> involved."
> 
>       Disney executives deny that accusation, though they said their 
displeasure
> over the deal was made clear to Miramax and Mr. Emanuel.
> 
>       A senior Disney executive elaborated that the company had the right to
> quash Miramax's distribution of films if it deemed their distribution to be
> against the interests of the company. The executive said Mr. Moore's film is
> deemed to be against Disney's interests not because of the company's business
> dealings with the government but because Disney caters to families of all
> political stripes and believes Mr. Moore's film, which does not have a release
> date, could alienate many.
> 
>       "It's not in the interest of any major corporation to be dragged into a
> highly charged partisan political battle," this executive said.
> 
>       Miramax is free to seek another distributor in North America, but such a
> deal would force it to share profits and be a blow to Harvey Weinstein, a big
> donor to Democrats.
> 
>       Mr. Moore, who will present the film at the Cannes film festival this
> month, criticized Disney's decision in an interview on Tuesday, saying, "At 
some
> point the question has to be asked, `Should this be happening in a free and 
open
> society where the monied interests essentially call the shots regarding the
> information that the public is allowed to see?' "
> 
>       Mr. Moore's films, like "Roger and Me" and "Bowling for Columbine," are
> often a political lightning rod, as Mr. Moore sets out to skewer what he says
> are the misguided priorities of conservatives and big business. They have also
> often performed well at the box office. His most recent movie, "Bowling for
> Columbine," took in about $22 million in North America for United Artists. His
> books, like "Stupid White Men," a jeremiad against the Bush administration 
that
> has sold more than a million copies, have also been lucrative.
> 
>       Mr. Moore does not disagree that "Fahrenheit 911" is highly charged, but
> he took issue with the description of it as partisan. "If this is partisan in
> any way it is partisan on the side of the poor and working people in this
> country who provide fodder for this war machine," he said.
> 
>       Mr. Moore said the film describes financial connections between the Bush
> family and its associates and prominent Saudi Arabian families that go back
> three decades. He said it closely explores the government's role in the
> evacuation of relatives of Mr. bin Laden from the United States immediately
> after the 2001 attacks. The film includes comments from American soldiers on 
the
> ground in Iraq expressing disillusionment with the war, he said.
> 
>       Mr. Moore once planned to produce the film with Mr. Gibson's company, 
but
> "the project wasn't right for Icon," said Alan Nierob, an Icon spokesman, 
adding
> that the decision had nothing to do with politics.
> 
>       Miramax stepped in immediately. The company had distributed Mr. Moore's
> 1997 film, "The Big One." In return for providing most of the new film's $6
> million budget, Miramax was positioned to distribute it.
> 
>       While Disney's objections were made clear early on, one executive said 
the
> Miramax leadership hoped it would be able to prevail upon Disney to sign off 
on
> distribution, which would ideally happen this summer, before the election and
> when political interest is high.
> 
> 
> 
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