There Is Still One Man Publicly Defending Harvey Weinstein
Ever since October, members of the film industry have scrambled to distance themselves from Harvey W..
Ever since October, members of the film industry have scrambled to distance themselves from Harvey Weinstein. The disgraced producer, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women (he has denied all allegations of nonconsensual acts), has become a pariah in Hollywood and beyond, excommunicated as more allegations and various lawsuits pile up against him. Strange as it may seem, though, there are still a few industry figures willing to share more positive thoughts on Weinstein. In mid-March, director Terry Gilliamweighed in on the situation, saying that although Weinstein was a “monster,” some of his alleged victims didnt really suffer, and that the #MeToo movement had become a “mob.” Moritz de Hadeln, the former director of the Berlin and Venice film festivals, then one-upped Gilliam, penning a new op-ed that defends Weinstein as a victim of “disgusting” “lynch justice.”
Writing for the Swiss magazine Die Weltwoche, Hadeln commended Weinstein for his contributions to the industry, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “No one has done as much for European cinema as [Weinstein] has,” he wrote. He then slammed gatekeepers like Cannes Film Festival Director Thierry Frémaux,Dieter Kosslick of the Berlin International Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival Director Alberto Barbera, per T.H.R., for turning their backs on Weinstein. All three released statements last October sharply condemning the power producer, signaling that the Hollywood tastemaker would not find reprieve overseas.
Meanwhile, Hadeln—who was the Berlinale director from 1979-2001, and the Venice director from 2002-2003—heralded Weinstein for championing films from directors like Pedro Almodóvar,Stephen Frears, and Bernardo Bertolucci. “Banning Harvey means European cinema loses an important trump card, a person . . . whose expertise has made it possible for many important works to succeed.”
So what does Hadeln make of all the pesky sexual misconduct allegations that have been lobbed against Weinstein—a few of which have mobilized into a credible investigation by the New York Police Department)? Hadeln believes Weinstein is a victim of “lynch justice”: “[He] has not even been convicted of the crimes these numerous women have accused him of, but the voice of the people has denied him the right to presumption of innocence . . . We should let the legal system decide if Weinstein has committed any crimes.”
He also dug into the #MeToo movement as a whole, saying it questioned “the relationship between men and women, the attraction and repulsion that is anchored in human nature.” His words echo a letter signed by 100 French actresses and academics that called the movement a “witch hunt” in January.
Hadeln continued, saying, “when an actress is touched by Harvey Weinstein in an indecorous manner, goes alone the next day to his hotel room and then screams Me too! you can only agree with [French actress] Brigitte Bardot in calling them a hypocrite.” Bardot made those comments in January as well, saying the “vast majority” of women coming forward about Weinstein “are being hypocritical and ridiculous.”
Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Yohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
