Following its North American premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, director Ali Abbasi’s Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice has launched a grassroots crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter with the goal of getting the film into as many theaters as possible and keeping it in theaters for as long as possible.
The campaign, called “Release the Apprentice,” asks movie fans to “help promote and defend the critically acclaimed Trump biopic that corporate America is too afraid to release.”
As we first reported, Briarcliff Entertainment is handling the film’s pre-election US release, with the film scheduled for release on October 11th. Prior to the date announcement, there was uncertainty about the awards-nominated film’s release plans due to a dispute with funder Kinematics, which is backed by Trump ally Dan Snyder. Snyder has reportedly taken issue with the film’s portrayal of the former president. The Trump campaign has threatened legal action against the filmmakers, but that has yet to materialize.
We were first to report on the project, written by Gabriel Sherman, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival to wow audiences. Starring Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong and Maria Bakalova, the film focuses on a young Trump (Stan) desperate to make a name for himself as the greedy second son of a wealthy family in 1970s New York, who becomes captivated by ruthless lawyer Cohn (Strong), helping to create the Donald Trump we know today.
Those who donate to the film’s fundraising campaign (accessible through the link) will receive special perks: a $25 donation will allow fans to stream the film after its theatrical release, while a $100 donation will give them the chance to have their name featured in a special section of the end credits. Higher donors will have the chance to win one of three wigs actually worn by Stan on screen and VIP tickets to the film’s New York premiere. All backers will receive an official “Backer Badge Kit” that can be used to spread the word about the film and the campaign.
In a statement about the Kickstarter launch, executive producer Amy Baer emphasized that “The Apprentice is first and foremost a humanistic story, which makes it fundamentally different from all the political furor surrounding this project.”
“Despite the film’s integrity, the Trump campaign tried to suppress it without even seeing it,” said Scicia Films producer Daniel Beckerman. “The idea that artists can no longer freely criticize those in power should concern us all. We need your help in firmly rejecting this dangerous precedent.”
In addition to Beckerman, producers on The Apprentice included Jacob Jarek of Profile Pictures, Ruth Tracy and Julian Ford of Tailored Films, Louis Tisne, and Abbasi. In addition to Bear and Sherman, executive producers include Fred Benenson, Compton Ross, Torsten Schumacher, Levi Woodward, Niamh Fagan, Greg Denny, James Shani, Noor Alfara, Andy Cohen, Andrew Frank, Neal Matheson, Lee Broda, Blair Ward, Brian Tyler Cohen, and Anders Elden.
