Oscar-winning producer Simon Chinn has been commissioned by the BBC to make a feature-length, no-holds-barred documentary on the Harvey Weinstein scandal to be aired on the channel, but also with a view for a theatrical release for awards qualification.
The 90 minute documentary will feature interviews with journalists, producers, directors, actors, agents and lawyers who have all been involved in the scandal, and most importantly, the women who have so bravely come out and finally made their voices heard and spoken out about the misconduct towards them at the hands of the Hollywood mogul.
Chinn, who has met the Weinstein once, said the BBC Two documentary would retell the Weinstein story in light of recent revelations and in the context of the wider culture in Hollywood. “As the story evolved, we started to think about the industry as a whole and the culture and complicity of the industry, and the question of how Harvey got away with that level of alleged behaviour and…whether we are looking at a real watershed moment,” he said.
Chinn will be producing with his production company Lightbox, who are responsible for Searching for Sugar. Also, on board to direct is Charlie Hebdo: Three Days that Shook Paris helmer, Ursula Macfarlane. Chinn said on the significance of having a female director on the documentary “I think she will come at the story with a female perspective, She’s an incredibly sensitive filmmaker who will be able to relate to many of the victims of [Weinstein’s] alleged abuse with great sensitivity.”
Tom McDonald, head of commissioning of natural history and specialist factual for the BBC, said “Weinstein” would be a landmark feature on Hollywood and the Weinstein saga. “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.”
Whilst, Weinstein is the first documentary commissioned so far to delve into the story that has finally shaken Hollywood to the core, it is not likely to be seen until 2019.
