Michael Moore working on new documentary 'to end' Trump
May 17, 2017
The polemical filmmaker Michael Moore is preparing a surprise documentary on the US president, called "Fahrenheit 11/9." He says that Donald Trump should be worried about what it will reveal.
The worldwide rights to Michael Moore's latest surprise documentary on Donald Trump, "Fahrenheit 11/9," have been purchased by producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein, "Variety" magazine reported on Tuesday.
The brash left-wing director claims that his film will lead to nothing less than the end of Trump's presidency:
The film, prepared in secret, aims to dissolve what Moore calls Trump's "teflon" protection.
"No matter what you throw at him, it hasn't worked," Moore said in a statement. "No matter what is revealed, he remains standing. Facts, reality, brains cannot defeat him. Even when he commits a self-inflicted wound, he gets up the next morning and keeps going and tweeting. "That all ends with this movie."
The title of the film, "Fahrenheit 11/9," is a reference to his famous political documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11," and to the date the results of the latest US election were finalized, on November 9, 2016, confirming that Donald Trump would become president of the United States.
In "Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore dealt with President Bush's wars in Iraq and AfghanistanImage: Imago/EntertainmentPictures
"Fahrenheit 9/11" was about the the presidency of George W. Bush in the aftermath of the terror attacks on September 11, 2001. It was awarded the Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. According to "The Hollywood Reporter," it also raked in $222 million dollars (200 million euros), making it the highest-grossing documentary of all time.
Shortly before the November 2016 election, the 63-year-old filmmakerhad also released the film "Michael Moore in Trumpland," based on his one-man show promoting Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. The film was made in just 12 days.
Moore was one of the very few public figures to have predicted that the then-candidate had a strong chance of winning.
Along with his documentary, the director now also has an upcoming Broadway show, "The Terms of My Surrender," about the "Trumpian era." It will open in late July.
eg/kbm (AP, AFP, dpa)
New documentaries you need to watch to understand Trump's 100 first days
As the US president reaches the 100-day mark, these films shed led on the polemical leader and the issues he is facing.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/F. Augstein
Jay Z's 'Race'
While rapper Jay Z is working on a six-episode documentary series on racial inequality in Trump's America, other recent background films can help us grasp the issues the US president has been dealing with for the past 100 days. Other documentaries reveal how his political circle is organized - and how he ticks.
Image: Getty Images/TIDAL/T. Wargo
'The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth'
The first season of this political docu-series followed the 2016 presidential race. Now in its second season, this Showtime program covers Trump's first 100 days in office by exploring the stories behind the headlines. A feature film made out of the material collected during season one of "The Circus," entitled "Trumped: Inside the Greatest Political Upset of All Time," also premiered at Sundance.
'Get Me Roger Stone'
This documentary on Trump's adviser and longtime Republican operative, Roger Stone, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival before its upcoming Netflix release on May 12. The man has been influencing US politics for decades - for the worse, just like a "malevolent Forrest Gump," says journalist Jeffrey Toobin in the film. The backgrounder reveals how deeply interconnected Stone and Trump are.
'HyperNormalisation'
BBC director Adam Curtis (pictured) is renowned for his cult signature style, combining weird archive footage with overarching historical storytelling. When he released "HyperNormalisation" in October 2016, a 165-minute film charting the rise of post-truth politics, he was criticized for focusing on Donald Trump - then still believed to be a short-lived phenomenon. Who were those critics again?
Image: Getty Images/S. Gries
'La Frontera'
Shortly before his 100th day in office, Trump postponed funding to his US-Mexico border wall to avoid a spending freeze. Fiercely opposed by many politicians, it remains to be seen if his campaign pledge will ever be fulfilled. In the meantime, further arguments against it are found in "La Frontera," which follows a man walking along the whole border, meeting the people who live and work there.
Image: The Southern Documentary Project
'An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power'
The trailer for this follow-up to former Vice President's Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" came out on March 28, opening with Trump complaining he wished for more global warming. That same day, the US president signed an executive order curbing the enforcement of climate regulations - and added two more in that vein just before reaching his 100-day mark. The film hits theaters on July 28.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Sundance Institute
'Obamacare in Trump Country'
Another one of Trump's main campaign promises was to repeal the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. That hasn't worked out yet, as the president failed to secure his party members' vote last March for a replacement plan. A short Vox documentary meets Trump voters in the sate of Kentucky - people who directly benefited from the plan - to understand what they were hoping for.
Image: Reuters/K. Lamarque
'You've Been Trumped Too'
"You've Been Trumped" (2011) featured Trump's construction of a luxury golf course on a Scottish coastline and the ensuing disputes he had with the local residents. Refusing to sell their land, a family had their water supply cut off - an ongoing situation, as this follow-up film shows. The documentary "reveals the corporate, sociopathic nature of Trump's political vision," writes "The Guardian."
Image: trumpedfilm.com
'Risk'
Trump's first months of presidency were also overshadowed by FBI inquiries into Russia's possible intervention in the elections. This is part of Oscar-winner Laura Poitras' new film on Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, "Risk." Following the US Justice Department's recent declaration that his arrest was a "priority," the filmmaker is now updating the doc just before its theatrical release on May 5.
Image: picture alliance/empics/D. Lipinski
'City of Ghosts'
One of Trump's unusually more popular moves since January was the airstrike on Syria - which, however, didn't impact the country's ability to wage war. Trump's failed travel ban is more emblematic of his views towards Muslim refugees. A must-see film for him to change that will be "City of Ghosts," described as "the definitive Syria documentary" by "The Guardian." It will be released on July 7.
