For the second straight year, a film involving President Donald Trump was part of the Telluride Film Festival and once again the movie shows the country's leader in a negative light.
What Happened: Last year at the Cannes Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival, a movie about the rise of Trump in the 1970s and 1980s called "The Apprentice" was a top storyline.
The film went on to see Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for stars Sebastian Stan, who portrayed Trump, and Jeremy Strong, who portrayed Roy Cohn, while the president tried to block the movie from hitting movie theaters.
This year could represent a similar situation with a documentary film about Trump from author E. Jean Carroll titled "Ask E. Jean." The film centers on Carroll and her lawsuits against Trump in recent years, as reported by Variety.
Carroll accused Trump of sexual assault and defamation in two separate cases, winning $90 million in damages from a jury. Trump has appealed both cases.
The film was an official selection for the Telluride Film Festival, which took place in Colorado over the recent weekend. In an interview with Variety, Carroll shared why the film is important and what she hopes to achieve by telling her story once again.
"If an 81-year-old woman can beat Donald Trump? Twice? Anybody can," Carroll told Variety.
Carroll said there is interest in finding a buyer for the film.
"We are flying."
The film's director Ivy Meeropol said the movie sector is in a different place than January when Trump was inaugurated and the film will resonate well with many people.
"People are looking for something to feel that there's a way out of the madness," Meeropol said.
Meeropol was also the director of the film "Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn," an HBO documentary about the former Trump mentor.
Carroll said Meeropol has experience studying Trump "and what made him." Carroll noted the new documentary is a "natural progression to finish Trump off."
Included in the film is video of Carroll's never-before-seen public depositions with Trump's then-lawyer Alina Habba.
"Alina Habba is a magnificent woman, effervescent and super smart. Didn't know diddly squat about the law," Carroll said of the close Trump political advisor and former acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
Carroll said moviegoers will be surprised at the multiple hours she spent with Habba prior to the actual trial.
Why It's Important: In the interview with Variety, Carroll said the Trump administration has been quiet about the documentary so far.
"We haven't heard from him because he's before a U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit. Yeah, and he's going to have to pay me $100 million if he doesn't behave," Carroll said of the combined $89 million awarded to her in the two cases.
Trump was very vocal about "The Apprentice" and fought to have the movie banned from theaters.
The film was a favorite at film festivals and went on to score an 83% critic and 84% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The box office was another story with $4 million grossed domestically and $13.3 million grossed internationally.
Film distributors were hesitant to attach themselves to the movie ahead of the 2024 presidential election, possibly due to fear of retaliation by the president.
Despite the strong ratings and the film's award nominations, "The Apprentice" doesn't stream on a major U.S. platform with the major media companies possibly afraid to attach themselves to the film. Instead, those interested had to see the film in theaters during its limited run or now pay to rent or buy the film on demand.
While Carroll and Meeropol are confident their new movie will get a buyer and see theaters, the battle could be tough with public companies trying to distance themselves from ruffling feathers with the president.
Media giant Paramount Skydance (NASDAQ:PSKY) paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit with Trump, an item that led to calls that they allegedly bribed the president. The settlement came ahead of the Trump administration officially blessing the merger between Paramount and Skydance.
Media companies and movie theater companies that want to complete mergers and acquisitions in the future may be scared to take on the Carroll film today, knowing it could backfire against them.
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Photo: Joshua Sukoff via Shutterstock
