Oscar winner Simon Chinn’s indie Lightbox is to make a feature-length doc on infamous producer Harvey Weinstein for BBC2.
The 90-minute film, directed by Ursula MacFarlane and with the working title Weinstein, will bring “fresh insights and revelations” to the story of Weinstein’s rise and fall as well as “providing the definitive account of one of the most far-reaching scandals in Hollywood’s history.”
The film has gained access to various sources surrounding the story including the many actresses who have come forward along with journalists, producers, directors, actors, agents, lawyers and others who have previously been unable or unwilling to talk publicly about Weinstein.
Through the prism of the Weinstein scandal, the film will also delve into the emergence of the studio system in the 1930s “revealing how the powerful have been able to construct a complex web of defences to shield themselves and behave with impunity.”
Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn, co-Founders of Lightbox and executive producers of the film said: “Through telling the story of Weinstein’s extraordinary rise and fall, this film will really get to the heart of the big questions that lie at the centre of the scandal: how did Weinstein get away with his behaviour for so long, what does his story reveal about how powerful men have operated in Hollywood and beyond and will this be a watershed moment in terms of the way women are treated in the workplace?”
Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two said: “The breaking of silence over Harvey Weinstein is a watershed moment for the creative industries and for wider society. Ursula is a brilliant filmmaker and is perfectly placed to make the definitive documentary, piecing together the story of just how he abused his power and position.”
Tom McDonald, Head of Commissioning, Natural History and Specialist Factual said: "This film promises to be the definitive take on the Weinstein scandal. As well as revealing the inside story of the past few months in minute detail, it will also look to the past to tell the story of abuses of power within Hollywood since its very origins and chart the rise of Harvey Weinstein himself over many decades. This is a film which will ask difficult and challenging questions about complicity, the price of silence and the corrosive effects of power and I’m certain that Lightbox will bring their signature approach to this important subject."
Weinstein (w/t, 1×90’) was commissioned for BBC Two by Head of Natural History and Specialist Factual Commissioning Tom McDonald and Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two; the Commissioning Editor is Simon Young. It is directed by Ursula MacFarlane (Charlie Hebdo: Three Days that Shook Paris, One Deadly Weekend in America) and executive produced by Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn for Lightbox. Drive has been appointed to handle pre-sales.
Jon Creamer
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