Donald Trump Movie ‘The Apprentice’ to Launch Kickstarter to Stay on More Screens
The release plans for the long-embattled Donald Trump movie The Apprentice have taken another turn as the filmmakers, who are coming off a warm reception at the Telluride Film Festival, are launching a Kickstarter campaign.
The crowdfunding campaign, titled “Release the Apprentice,” will aim to “lend additional support in order to keep the film in as many theaters as possible for as long as possible,” according to today’s announcement. The news is interesting given that sources told The Hollywood Reporter last week The Apprentice is set to receive a theatrical release from Tom Ortenberg’s Briarcliff Entertainment on Oct. 11. (No official announcement has been made.)
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Currently, the Kickstarter has a goal of $100,000 with incentives for backers that include a replica of cuff links seen in the film ($400), a producing workshop with producer Daniel Bekerman ($2,500), and an onscreen toupee prop worn by star Sebastian Stan ($3,500).
“The obstacles we have faced releasing this movie are well documented. Our distribution was blocked. We were hit with a cease and desist from Trump’s lawyers,” reads the Kickstarter website. “Major media companies were afraid to show you this movie. Releasing this movie has become a DAVID and GOLIATH struggle, but with your support, you can help #ReleaseTheApprentice.”
The Apprentice, which first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, is directed by acclaimed Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi and written by Vanity Fair reporter Gabe Sherman. It explores Donald Trump’s (Stan) rise to power in 1980s America under the influence of right-wing attorney Roy Cohn, played by Jeremy Strong. Martin Donovan (Tenet) plays Fred Trump Sr. and Oscar and Golden Globe nominee Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) plays Ivana Trump.
Since the film’s festival debut, its potential release has been mired in uncertainty. Dan Snyder, the pro-Trump billionaire whose Kinematics company put up equity for the film against domestic rights, reportedly was displeased with the film’s depiction of Trump and sought to block its release.
“The Apprentice is first and foremost humanist, which makes it radically different from all the political noise,” said executive producer Amy Baer as a part of today’s Kickstarter announcement. Beckerman added: “Despite the integrity of the film and without even seeing it, Trump’s campaign sought to suppress it. The idea that artists can no longer freely criticize the powerful should concern us all. We need your help to resoundingly reject this dangerous precedent.”
“What Abassi’s film reveals most of all is the extent to which the toxicity that’s now an inescapable part of our contemporary reality was shaped by the unholy alliance between two men half a century ago,” reads The Hollywood Reporter‘s review of the film.
In addition to the Kickstarter, a clip for the film was released today. Watch below.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
Sign up for Hollywoodreporter's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.