Welcome to New York (2014 film)

Welcome to New York

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Abel Ferrara
Produced by Adam Folk
Written by Abel Ferrara
Christ Zois
Starring Gérard Depardieu
Jacqueline Bisset
Cinematography Ken Kelsch
Edited by Anthony Redman
Production
company
Distributed by IFC Films
Release dates
  • 17 May 2014 (2014-05-17) (Cannes)
Running time
 125 minutes[1]
Country France
United States
Language English
French

Welcome to New York is a 2014 French-American drama film co-written and directed by Abel Ferrara. Inspired by the Dominique Strauss-Kahn affair, the film was released on 17 May 2014 by VOD on the internet as the film failed to secure a place on the official selection at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, nor was it picked up for theatrical distribution in France[2] and is facing self-censorship by the French media, according to Vincent Maraval, one of the producers.[3][4][5]

Plot

In the film, the character Devereaux is closely based on French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn. It tells the story of a powerful man, a possible candidate for the Presidency of France, who lives a life of debauchery and is arrested after being accused of raping a maid at his hotel.

Cast
  • Shanyn Leigh as female journalist
  • Natasha Romanova as Russian Yelena
  • Aurelie Claudel as Air France VIP escort
  • John Patrick Barry as Port Authority Chief
  • Anh Duong as Livia
  • Pascal Yen-Pfister as Hotel Security Chief
  • Ilinca Kiss as concierge
  • Kathryn Lillecrapp as Bebe
  • Pamela Afesi as maid
  • Nneoma Nkuku as Female Supervisor

Reception and lawsuit

Following its release – to mixed reviews varying from high praise to outright disgust – Strauss-Kahn said he would sue for slander. His lawyer also complained that the film portrayed his then-wife Anne Sinclair as anti-Semitic.[6][7]

Ferrara, in a series of interviews with Indiewire, The Hollywood Reporter and other publications between September 2014 and March 2015, claimed that his distributor, Vincent Maraval of Wild Bunch, sold an unauthorized R-rated version of the film to IFC Films, for distribution in the US; the R-rated cut had already been released on Blu-ray and VOD in various European countries. Maraval subsequently responded that Ferrara had agreed on the R-rated cut to receive more financing for the film and had also contractually consented to lose final cut of the R-rated version if he did not deliver one by a certain date.[8][9][10] Ferrara then stated his intent to send a cease-and-desist letter to Maraval and IFC, which issued its own statement also claiming that it had given Ferrara the chance to deliver his own R-rated cut for theatrical showings in the US, which he declined to do.[11] As of March 27, the R-rated cut has only been shown at one American theater – the Roxie in San Francisco – though it is available in the US on VOD, and IFC has stated it intends to show it at additional theaters.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "WELCOME TO NEW YORK (18)". British Board of Film Classification. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  2. ↑ "Cannes Film Festival: Strauss-Kahn Film Under Fire". The New York Times. May 18, 2014.
  3. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa. "CANNES: Wild Bunch Pre-Sells Abel Ferrara's 'Welcome to New York' Ahead of Cannes' Screening". Variety. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014.
  4. ↑ Mullholland, Rory. "Cinema producer warned over 'Dominique Strauss-Kahn film'". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "Dominique Strauss-Kahn film to be unveiled at Cannes". BBC News. 12 May 2014.
  6. ↑ Lichfield, John. "Dominique Strauss-Kahn to sue makers of Gerard Depardieu sex addiction film Welcome to New York". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "Cannes 2014 - Welcome to New York, review: 'As portraiture, it flops'". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Venice: Director Abel Ferrara Attacks IFC "Punks" Who "Don't Give a Shit About Movies"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved Sep 5, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Venice: Abel Ferrara Movie Backer Responds to IFC "Punks" and "Vampires" Rant". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved Sep 7, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Abel Ferrara Battles for Director's Cut of 'Welcome to New York,' But Here's the Real Story". Indiewire. Retrieved Mar 5, 2015.
  11. ↑ "IFC Accuses Director Abel Ferrara of "Slinging Mud and Insults"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved Mar 20, 2015.
  12. ↑ "The (sort of) truth behind the two versions of Abel Ferrara's "Welcome to New York"". Screen Comment. Retrieved Mar 27, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/9/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.