After a tumultuous journey to ignite public curiosity following its debut at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, "The Apprentice," featuring Sebastian Stan's captivating portrayal of a youthful Donald Trump, has finally secured a distributor poised to unleash the film mere weeks before the pivotal November elections. Briarcliff Entertainment has set October 11th as the date for the film's theatrical release in the United States and Canada, a strategic move that precedes the nation's electoral vote on November 5th by a mere matter of days.
Danish-Iranian auteur Ali Abbasi, the film's director, had relentlessly pursued a pre-election theatrical release, driven by a desire to have audiences engage with the narrative before casting their ballots. However, major studios and distributors shied away from the project, prompting Abbasi to vent his frustration on social media in early June, lamenting, "For some inexplicable reason, powerful figures in this country seem determined to keep you from seeing it!"
Steven Cheung, the communications director for the Trump campaign, swiftly responded to the announcement, branding the film's impending release as "a blatant attempt by Hollywood elites to meddle in the election, right on the eve of November." He scorned, "This so-called 'film' is nothing but malicious slander, unworthy of even the dimmest corner of a DVD bargain bin in a fading discount movie store; it belongs in the flames of a dumpster."
Part of the film's struggle to gain traction stemmed from the looming specter of legal repercussions. Following its Cannes premiere in May, Cheung dismissed "The Apprentice" as mere fiction and threatened legal action against the filmmakers for their "blatantly false accusations." The movie traces Trump's ascent to power in New York's real estate arena, mentored by defense attorney Roy Cohn (portrayed by Jeremy Strong), and controversially depicts a harrowing scene where Trump is accused of raping his wife, Ivana (played by Maria Bakalova). This scene echoes Ivana's 1990 divorce deposition, where she alleged Trump raped her, though he vehemently denied the claim, and she later clarified it was a metaphor for feeling violated.
Abbasi, undeterred, has even expressed a willingness to engage with Trump personally, offering, "I'd be open to meeting him anywhere, screening the film, and discussing its context afterward, should anyone from the Trump campaign find that intriguing."
Briarcliff Entertainment, known for its eclectic film slate including the 2022 documentary "Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down" and the Liam Neeson-led thriller "Memory," is helmed by Tom Ortenberg, a seasoned veteran who played a pivotal role in releasing Michael Moore's groundbreaking "Fahrenheit 9/11" at Lionsgate and backed the Oscar-winning "Spotlight" as CEO of Open Road Films. This partnership promises to bring "The Apprentice" to the forefront of the political and cinematic landscape, just as the nation gears up for a historic election.
