"The Apprentice" Biopic on Trump Shut Out at Cannes Amid Controversy

"The Apprentice," a highly anticipated biopic about former President Donald Trump's ascent in the real estate world, failed to clinch any awards at the Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Iranian Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi, the film stars Sebastian Stan as the young Trump and Jeremy Strong as his mentor and attorney, Roy Cohn. Despite receiving an eight-minute standing ovation at its premiere, the film did not win any accolades, with the festival's top prize, the Palme d’Or, going to Sean Baker's romantic drama "Anora," set in New York.

"The Apprentice" delves into Trump's early career and personal relationships, portraying his interactions with Roy Cohn and his first wife, Ivana Trump, in a controversial light. The film's depiction has led to significant backlash from Trump and his associates. Trump's attorney issued a cease-and-desist letter to the filmmakers, claiming the movie was a "concoction of lies" and defamatory towards the former president. The letter threatened legal action if the distribution and marketing of the film were not halted immediately. “If you do not immediately cease and desist all distribution and marketing of this libelous farce, we will be forced to pursue all appropriate legal remedies,” the letter stated.

This move followed earlier warnings from Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung, who criticized the film as "pure malicious defamation" and suggested it deserved to be discarded. "This ‘film’ is pure malicious defamation, should not see the light of day, and doesn’t even deserve a place in the straight-to-DVD section of a bargain bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store, it belongs in a dumpster fire,” Cheung stated.

Despite the controversy, the film’s producers defended their work, describing it as a "fair and balanced portrait of the former president." They expressed their desire for audiences to view the film and form their own opinions. "We want everyone to see it and then decide," they told Variety.

Adding to the turmoil, Dan Synder, an investor in the film through the company Kinematics and an ally of Trump, reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the final product. According to anonymous sources cited by Variety, Synder was furious about the film's outcome and attempted to stop its release by involving Kinematics’s legal team.

The biopic's failure to win awards at Cannes, coupled with the legal and public relations battles it has sparked, underscores the contentious nature of its subject matter. As "The Apprentice" moves forward, it faces a landscape fraught with potential legal challenges and polarized public opinion.

Credit: The Hill 2024-05-28

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