Two-part documentary Leaving Neverland has courted controversy by levelling new accusations of child sexual abuse at the late Michael Jackson.
The explosive film premiered at Sundance, and reportedly includes the accusation that the singer gave a young boy jewellery in exchange for sexual acts.
It features new interviews with Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who accuse the singer of molesting them as children.
The Jackson Estate has denied the claims and denounced the film, which is set to air on Channel 4 in the spring.
Here's everything you need to know before the divisive documentary arrives on the small screen.
It features interviews with two of Jackson’s accusers
Leaving Neverland includes interviews with Robson and Safechuck, who accuse the musician of sexually abusing them as boys.
In the documentary, Safechuck alleges that Jackson would give him jewellery in exchange for sex acts. Director Dan Reed also explores the aftermath of the alleged abuse through extensive interviews with the accusers’ families.
Both accusers testified on Jackson’s behalf when a civil suit was brought against him in 1993 by the family of Jordan Chandler, but have since filed suits against the musician.
Safechuck filed a suit against Jackson in 2013, and Robson did the same in 2014. Both cases were dismissed in 2017.
A separate case, which involved allegations of child molestation, child intoxication and conspiracy to commit child extortion and abduction, was brought forward in 2005. A jury found Jackson not guilty.
Preview audiences were shocked by the documentary’s content
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this month, and elicited strong responses from reviewers.
Daily Beast reporter Ken Fallon tweeted: “Whatever you thought you knew or were aware of, the content of this is more disturbing than you could imagine.”
US Weekly’s critic Mara Reinstein said she felt “sick to [her] stomach” after watching the first part, and said she believed the accounts in the film to be “credible.”
Writer Adam B Vary described the film as “a thorough, devastating, deeply credible piece of filmmaking” in a tweet after the premiere.
Jackson’s family are “furious” with the documentary
The late singer’s family have said that the allegations in Leaving Neverland amount to a “public lynching.”
They denounced the documentary in a statement, in which they said that they could no longer “turn the other cheek” in the face of the accusations, which they have denied.
“We can’t just stand by while this public lynching goes on… Michael is not here to defend himself, otherwise these allegations would not have been made,” they said.
Jackson’s brother has said the singer was “1,000 per cent” innocent
Speaking to Good Morning Britain, Jermaine Jackson begged the makers of the film to “leave [Jackson] alone” and reaffirmed his belief in his brother’s innocence.
“He was tried with all of these things… they had to sling him through the mud and he was cleared of all of this, so it’s nonsense,” he said.
“We’re living in a time when people can say anything and it’s taken as the truth.”
Leaving Neverland's director has responded to his critics
After the Jackson estate described his feature as "a tabloid character assassination," four-time BAFTA winner Reed claimed that his film is not directly about Jackson: rather, it is "an account of sexual abuse, how sexual abuse happens and then how the consequences play out later in life."
He also suggested that the Jacksons had not watched his film, telling the Hollywood Reporter: "Their statements are not consistent with having watched the movie."
How to watch Leaving Neverland in the UK
Channel 4 has confirmed that the two-part documentary will air in the first week of March, though an exact release date and time is yet to be confirmed. It is set to air on HBO in the US around the same time.
Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor Tom Porter described Leaving Neverland as “an extraordinarily compelling, yet moving film about two men whose lives were changed forever by one of the most famous men who ever lived.”
He said that Channel 4 was “immensely proud to have commissioned this film.”
