Prior to the scandal unfolding around Harvey Weinstein, The Weinstein Company had put their Oscar hopes in the period drama “The Current War.” It all imploded with the disastrous reception the movie received at the Toronto International Film Festival, followed by the explosive allegations of sexual harassment and assault that emerged against Weinstein. However, in their back pocket, the studio had the sleeper indie hit “Wind River.” The directorial debut by Taylor Sheridan (“Sicario,” “Hell Of High Water“) earned rave reviews and strong numbers in limited release. But there was one problem — it had Weinstein’s name on it.
Well, that hurdle got cleared last month, when Acacia Entertainment, a company owned by Tunica-Biloxi tribes, who largely funded the $10 million film, stepped up to fully back the awards season screeners and the Oscar campaign for “Wind River.” The company scrubbed the Weinstein name from the movie, and the home video release, and there is no involvement at all from The Weinstein Company in the awards season run. Even more, any future profits are being directed to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, which assists battered Native American women.
So, how was this accomplished? Sheridan made The Weinstein Company an offer they couldn’t refuse.
“I called TWC president David Glasser and said, ‘I’m going to demand something of you and you are going to get absolutely nothing in return,’ ” he explained to Deadline. “ ‘And you’re going to do it, because it’s the right thing to do.’ To David’s credits, he agreed.”
However, Sheridan was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice in the event that he met any resistance from The Weinstein Company
“I said, if my movie’s going to die, I’ll be the one to kill it,” he said. “I will Alan Smithee the film, take my name off it, and publicly denounce it. I would have said, don’t go see this movie, don’t rent it, don’t watch it. If he was going to remain publicly attached, if he was going to benefit from a film highlighting the atrocity he perpetrated? No.”
It’s an courageous move by Sheridan, and as he said, The Weinstein Company execs did the right thing. “Wind River” is now available on Digital HD and arrives on physical formats next week. [via Vulture]