Jackson exposé comes to Sundance
Leaving Neverland is an exposé about two boys who accused Michael Jackson of sexual abuse.
World premieres of potentially explosive documentaries — about Michael Jackson’s alleged sex crimes and ex- Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s White House skulduggery — are the final feature additions to the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, Jan. 24-Feb. 3.
Leaving Neverland, a U.S./ Britain co-production directed by Dan Reed, is a testimonial exposé about Jackson featuring two men now in their 30s. They say they were at the respective ages of 7 and 10 when they were sexually abused by the late pop star in the early 1990s.
The two were allegedly in “long-running relationships” with Jackson that also included their families. The doc purports to not only expose the alleged crimes, but also show how the victims came to terms with what happened to them.
Jackson, who died of a drug overdose in 2009, has long been suspected of being a sexual predator. In 1993, he was accused of sexually abusing a 13year-old boy in a notorious case that was settled out of court for a reported payout of $23 million (US.).
Bell Media said Thursday that Leaving Neverland will air on HBO and Crave in Canada in the spring.
The Brink, a U.S. production directed by award-winning documentarian Alison Klayman ( Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry) also promises to provide the untold story behind the story. It follows Bannon as he tours the world as the self-appointed leader of the “populist movement.”
These two films bring to a new of a total of 241 features, shorts and other projects to Sundance.