Death of a President — the controversial fake investigative documentary that features real news footage mixed with fake images of the 2007 death of President Bush — may not reach major U.S. audiences, as the country’s largest theater chain, Regal Entertainment Group, refuses to show the film. “We would not be inclined to program this film,” Regal Entertainment Group CEO Mike Campbell told Reuters. “We feel it is inappropriate to portray the future assassination of a sitting president, regardless of political affiliation.” Newmarket Films, which has decided to release the film Oct. 27, just before the Nov. 7 election, feels the film isn’t as reactionary as some suggest. “Yes, it’s controversial,” Newmarket co-founder Chris Ball told Reuters of the film, which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival last month. “It’s quite a compelling political thriller. In many ways it is sympathetic to George Bush. It talks about a rush to judgment. In no way is it a call for violence.”
Cinemark USA, which is based in Texas, also refuses to show the film, with a spokesperson saying, “It’s a subject matter we don’t wish to play.” National Amusements, a Viacom-owned company based in Boston, is still in negotiations, while Newmarket says the Landmark Theater chain supports the film.
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On the Web:
Death of a President at imdb.com
