Hulu has snagged the U.S. rights to “Untouchable,” the feature doc about disgraced media mogul Harvey Weinstein, in a seven-figure deal, Variety has learned.
The film, directed by Ursula Macfarlane, had its premiere at Sundance. It offers the inside track on the rise of Weinstein and his subsequent fall, amid allegations in the U.S. and Europe of abuse, harassment, and rape. Weinstein denies the charges that have been brought against him.
Embankment Films is handling sales and sealed the Hulu deal. Lightbox, the shingle that made “Whitney” and is behind the upcoming “Tina Turner,” produced the film.
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The title plays on Weinstein’s elevated status in the movie business. “In her powerhouse documentary of the same name, director Ursula Macfarlane turns that word against Weinstein, empowering his accusers while also holding those who’d been complicit in his crimes accountable,” Variety said in its Sundance review.
For Hulu, which is now fully controlled by Disney, it is the third deal for a 2019 Sundance documentary after it picked up Ryan White’s “Ask Dr. Ruth,” and Liza Mandelup’s “Jawline.”
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“We are thrilled that ‘Untouchable’ has been acquired by Hulu, which is the perfect home in the U.S. for a film that should serve both as a cautionary tale for the younger generation and an enduring example of how seemingly unchecked power can be held to account when courageous people choose to speak out,” Simon and Jonathan Chinn, co-founders of Lightbox, told Variety.
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In Europe, the Weinstein film will have its premiere at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival in June. In the U.K., the doc will play on the BBC after a theatrical release. The U.K. pubcaster is a co-production partner and financed the film with Media Finance Capital.
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The film is sold out in major territories although the specifics have yet to be announced. It will be launched theatrically in several countries. Embankment launched presales on “Untouchable,” which was then called “Citizen Harvey,” at Cannes last year. The U.K.-based firm’s head of sales Calum Gray negotiated the deal with Hulu’s Belisa Balaban.
David Gilbery and Charles Dorfman, for MFC, and Simon Young and Tom McDonald for the BBC, are executive producers.
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