Abel Ferrara vs IFC

[The Ultimate Nullifier]

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/venice-director-abel-ferrara-attacks-730624

More than a year ago in Cannes, IFC Films picked up rights to Abel Ferrara's Welcome to New York — a retelling of the downfall of former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn starring Gerard Depardieu. But now the controversial director known for such sexually explicit films as Bad Lieutenant is speaking out against his distributor, accusing executives of trying to compromise his film.

Ferrara is bristling at a letter he says he received from IFC svp Arianna Bocco telling the filmmaker to deliver an R-rated version of Welcome so that it could match the version to be released on Showtime during its pay TV window. The film, which screened in Cannes in May, is currently beyond the R-rated threshold (The Hollywood Reporter's review described it as a cross “between performance piece and soft-core porn").

For Ferrara, there's no backing down. “Welcome to New York is not being distributed in the U.S. because of this company, IFC, which I'm totally disgusted with," Ferrara tells THR in Venice, where he’s promoting his latest film, Pasolini, a biopic of Italian filmmaker, poet and novelist Pier Paolo Pasolini. "They knew from day one when they bought this film that they had the final version and that it wasn’t going to be changed."

But sources say sales agent Wild Bunch, which sold the film to IFC based on a 10-minute trailer, is contractually obligated to deliver an R-rated cut.

Ferrara, 63, who’ll be in Toronto for the Sept. 8 screening of Pasolini, sees the issue as indicative of a larger problem facing independent filmmakers. "I've f—ing had it with this corporate assault on the artists and the freedom of the artist, period. It's like a war against movies," he says. "Because 90 percent of the marketplace is owned by five guys masquerading as corporations. They're vultures and they're vampires, and they're trying to suck the blood out of the life of the filmmaking community."

IFC Films is owned and operated by AMC Networks.

“F— them and f— IFC and the Center. Any filmmaker that's worth anything should go and burn that theater down," he continued, referencing the New York cinema owned by IFC, which has been home to many of his works in the past.

"And as for my brother and sister filmmakers, don’t roll over to these punks,” he continued. “And don’t let Arianna Bocco and (Sundance Selects/IFC Films president) Jonathan Sehring and the other thousand just like them come on as big friends of the independent film community. They don’t give a excrement about movies or the people that make them."

IFC wouldn't address Ferrara's accusations directly. But Sehring says IFC still plans to bring the film to the big screen despite the filmmaker's criticism. “We have been fans of Abel Ferrara for years and think he is an incredible filmmaker," Sehring said. "We supported his work on this particular film over several years in the production process and plan to release this riveting film early next year for U.S. audiences."

But Ferrara sees parallels between his own struggle and his latest subject, Pasolini. “If there’s anything to learn from Pasolini, it’s that he died for his films, man,” says Ferrara. “To re-cut these films is to destroy them. And to not give back to the film community is to destroy it."

[The Ultimate Nullifier]

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/abel-ferrara-issues-cease-desist-782563

Abel Ferrara Issues Cease-and-Desist Letter Over IFC Release of 'Welcome to New York'

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-rated cuts in order to change the "political and moral content" of the film, at great risk to Ferrara's reputation. He says he intends to commence legal action if IFC Films goes ahead with its planned release next week.

Inspired by the trial of former IMF-head Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Welcome to New York stars Gerard Depardieu in a much lauded performance depicting the widely publicized fall from grace in which Strauss-Kahn was accused of raping a hotel maid. Screening in Cannes last year, it received positive reviews for its biting story and raw performances. The Hollywood Reporter called the film “scandalous” and “uproarious.”

“As a filmmaker and a human being, I detest the destruction of my film,” said Ferrara in a new statement. “Behind all these entities are individuals, in this case Arianna Bocco, Jonathan Sehring and Vincent Maraval, who feel they can deny my contractual right of final cut, which is simply my freedom of expression.”

“Some people wear hoods and carry automatic weapons, others sit behind their desks, but the attack and attempted suppression of the rights of the individual are the same,” he continued. “I will defend the right of free speech till the end and I ask all who believe, as I do, that they not support the showing of this film, on their networks, in their theaters, or wherever.”

Back in September, Wild Bunch head Vincent Maraval told THR that the cuts were “very minor” and were only to “help the film’s flow.” In actuality, the IFC version of the film is cut down a full 17 minutes from its original 125-minute length to 108 minutes.

The edited version of the film shown in Europe cut an entire subplot scene, removed overt political dialogue and shaved down a hotel orgy scene with multiple jump cuts. Most notably, it moved the hotel rape scene to a flashback, bringing the maid’s credibility open to interpretation.

“The version being released in the U.S. may lead viewers to think that maybe she imagined it,” said Ferrara. “It does not respect the woman who was raped at all, and the fact that my name is on this film is a crime.”


As previously reported, Wild Bunch head Vincent Maraval maintains that because of financial obligations, IFC had always asked for an R-rated version of the film, and Ferrara was contractually obligated to deliver one. When he failed to deliver, they cut the film without him.

But Ferrara believes Maraval cut his own version of the film long before they reached out to him to deliver a new edit of the film. “He had a different idea of what the film should be,” he said, speaking to THR in Rome. “I had to make a censored cut for home, which is business as usual. But when IFC told me they weren’t going to release my version theatrically, that’s where the conversation ended.”

Ferrara has had a long relationship with both IFC and Wild Bunch, and this is the first time he has been denied director’s cut. “I’ve had final cut for thirty years,” he said. “I wouldn’t make a film unless I had final cut.”

When further pushed about Ferrara’s contractual right to final cut, Maraval said, “There are contracts. He has a lawyer. The film is one year old and has been released all over the world. You have your answer.” Wild Bunch claimed that the cut version was overwhelmingly preferred by distributors, but refused to comment on which versions were shown where. Ferrara is also reportedly pursuing a lawsuit against Wild Bunch for unapproved releases of the film in countries including Italy, Japan and the U.K.

The U.S. release is currently slated for multiple theaters across the country as well as on demand. Theatrically, IFC Films has not shied away from NC-17 content in the past. IFC Center even welcomed teenagers to view Blue is the Warmest Color last year, claiming it was an educational film. Showtime is currently planning to broadcast the edited film at a later date.

In the midst of the controversy surrounding the U.S. release, Strauss-Kahn is still pursuing a defamation suit in France against the film, according to Ferrara. “It’s the same thing. It’s a threat upon my right of self-expression," said Ferrara. "This is what this is all about. Whether my work is being prevented from being shown in IFC cinemas that have always distributed my films uncut, or when an international sales agent arbitrarily and unlawfully changes my film, I will defend it, in the court, in the street, wherever, whenever.”

IFC has not yet responded to THR's request for comment.

[The Ultimate Nullifier]

deadline.com/2015/03/abel-ferrara-welcome-to-new-york-ifc-wild-bunch-1201396438/

Abel Ferrara And ‘Welcome To New York': Is The Controversy Just For Show?

Abel Ferrara’s Welcome To New York premiered in Cannes last May as it simultaneously went out on VOD in France in an unconventional release strategy for Wild Bunch. It was downloaded 100K times in the first week and similarly went on to some success in other markets, but the drama is only now getting its Stateside release via IFC Films, amid brewing controversy between the distributor and Ferrara.

Inspired by the summer 2011 sex scandal surrounding former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the film stars Gérard Depardieu and Jacqueline Bisset. It is a very graphic look at sex addiction and the scandal that surfaced after DSK’s alleged sexual assault on a maid at the Sofitel in NY.

Changes in order to secure an R rating in the U.S. have angered the filmmaker who has evidently sent a cease and desist letter to IFC, although I hear IFC has not yet seen such a letter. Attempts to contact Ferrara’s attorney were unsuccessful. The tempest — or what Wild Bunch’s Vincent Maraval tells me is making a “mountain out of nothing” — first began in the late spring of 2014 when the Hollywood Reporter posted statements by Ferrara regarding the edit.

IFC hasn’t spoken on the record about the issue until now, providing a statement to Deadline that says the filmmaker has “refused to engage with us past slinging mud and insults” (see full statement below). They are planning a day-and-date VOD/theatrical release on March 27.

IFC acquired Welcome To New York from Wild Bunch and part of the contractual agreement was that an R-rated version would be cut for the U.S. I hear Wild Bunch attempted to have the director do his own pass, but he did not oblige and they ultimately furnished IFC with an R-rated version. IFC also offered to cover the cost of Ferrara doing his own cut but it’s understood that he did not respond. Since September, “there has been name calling,” says a person close to the situation.

The film will not screen at the IFC Center in NY out of security concerns, “after (Ferrara’s) “threats of violence,” per the IFC statement. The indie distributor says an offer was made to screen the director’s cut at the Anthology Film Archives theater, but that was a no-go. “It is our understanding that the theater was in touch with Abel Ferrara, after which they declined to screen it,” IFC says.

The helmer of Bad Lieutenant and more recently the well-received 4:44: Last Day On Earth, as well as 2014 Venice selection Pasolini hatched the idea for Welcome To New York in 2011, when Ferrara was making 4:44 with Wild Bunch. At the time, Maraval told me it was suggested that the DSK sex scandal would be a good fit for Ferrara given the filmmaker’s penchant for themes of addiction.

Maraval tells me today of the current dust-up, Ferrara is “putting on a show like always and the press is following along. Fine.”

The version of the film I saw at the Cannes premiere last year was not for the prudish or faint of heart. Depardieu called the subject matter reminiscent of Shakespearian tragedy. He said he was shocked when he saw it because some of the sex was very violent, but he tried not to pin the characters to “right or wrong.” For those who might consider some of the footage borderline porn, Depardieu admonished, “It’s not porno at all. To be porno, you have to see the big dick.” There was indeed a scene in which Depardieu’s private parts are exposed during a strip search inside a stark prison. Whether that made it into the R-rated cut remains to be seen.

Here’s IFC’s statement:

“At IFC Films, we place high priority on our relationships with filmmakers and want to address the controversy and drama around the film Welcome To New York, which has now expanded beyond the scandalous story depicted in the movie. We want to set the record straight about our role as the U.S. distributor of the film.

Our contract with Wild Bunch (the film’s sales agent) is for an R-rated version. We offered Mr. Ferrara an opportunity to edit his own R-rated version of the film at our expense, but he did not respond. After his threats of violence towards the IFC Center last September, we decided we could not risk showing the film there, but we offered to screen his original directors cut at the Anthology Film Archives theater in New York. It is our understanding that the theater was in touch with Abel Ferrara, after which they declined to screen it.

On March 27th, we will be releasing on VOD and in select theaters the version of Welcome To New York that has been delivered to us by Wild Bunch, in accordance with our contractual obligation. Any edits made to the original version of Welcome To New York were made by Wild Bunch, since Mr. Ferrara did not respond to our offer.

It’s a core mission of IFC Films to support and champion our filmmakers and we regret that Mr. Ferrara has refused to engage with us past slinging mud and insults. We’d have welcomed the opportunity to work more closely with him on the film, if he’d been willing.”

[The Ultimate Nullifier]

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/abel-ferrara-responds-ifc-fire-783614


Abel Ferrara Responds to IFC: "Fire-Bombing Theaters Is Not on My Agenda"


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 that it is just serving as the middleman, and its contract with Wild Bunch was always to distribute an R-rated version of the film, which Ferrara failed to deliver. In a new statement, Ferrara tells THR that the response is ignoring the long relationship he's had with both IFC Films and Wild Bunch executives in the past.

He claims that IFC is "sidestepping the fact that they knowingly are distributing an unauthorized version of the film" and "are well aware of all the political and artistic issues" at stake. According to Ferrara, championing a filmmaker means to distribute "his movie as he intended it to be," not to work to "change the politics and message the filmmaker is expressing."

In this case, Ferrara says the message of the film is "no means no," referring to the infamous hotel rape scene. In an edited version of the film, the infamous hotel rape scene is turned into a flashback, leaving the maid's credibility open to interpretation. In Ferrara's original film, the guilt of Gerard Depardieu's character is apparent, and the director shows zero sympathy toward men in power who have an abusive relationship with women. As of now, IFC will release the edited version of the film as planned, and Ferrara tells THR he will pursue legal action against both IFC and Wild Bunch for releasing a version of the film he didn't approve.

Read Abel Ferrara's full statement along with IFC's responses:

"…our contract with Wild Bunch (the film's sales agent) is for an R-rated version."

There is a reluctance on IFC's part to acknowledge the personal relationship I have with Arianna Bocco and Jonathan Sehring of IFC. They were both at the premiere in Cannes and the press conference afterward with Gerard Depardieu, Vincent Maraval and myself. They are well aware of all the political and artistic issues here. They are sidestepping the fact that they knowingly are distributing an unauthorized version of the film.

"We offered Mr. Ferrara an opportunity to edit his own R-rated version of the film at our expense, but he did not respond. After his threats of violence toward the IFC Center last September, we decided we could not risk showing the film there."

There were many emails back and forth and face-to-face meetings with IFC, but when I was told they would only distribute theatrically and on VOD the R-rated cut that was needed for Showtime, that's when my conversation with them ended and it became an issue for the lawyers. The precedent here is, one, I don't make R-rated movies, especially concerning this subject matter, and two, IFC and Wild Bunch are well aware of that, as well as being companies that handle unrated films. That's why I am with them. IFC theaters and their VOD outlet is known for their unrated releases. As for violence against their theaters, those comments were metaphorical. I am an artist and a Buddhist, so fire-bombing theaters is not on my agenda.

"It's a core mission of IFC Films to support and champion our filmmakers, and we regret that Mr. Ferrara has refused to engage with us past slinging mud and insults. We'd have welcomed the opportunity to work more closely with him on the film, if he'd been willing."

If you support and champion a filmmaker, you distribute his movie as he intended it to be, not 'work closely' in an attempt to change his or her film and by doing so change the politics and message the filmmaker is expressing. The politics in this case is 'no means no' and 'violence toward women is not acceptable,' but obviously Vincent Maraval does not feel that way, and IFC is supporting him.