Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11' pulls off distribution deal

Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11' pulls off distribution deal

MUMBAI: Fighting all odds, director Michael Moore's award-winning documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 is now scheduled for a 25 June release as it has picked up a US distributor.

The controversial film, produced by the Disney-owned Miramax, had found itself in the eye of the storm for blasting US president George Bush's handling of the Iraq war.

Harvey and Bob Weinstein who heads Miramax had bought the rights to the movie personally from Disney so that they can independently look for a distributor. Disney had earlier refused to distribute the film. The film will be now released by a partnership of Lions Gate Films, IFC Films and the Fellowship Adventure Group, which was formed by the Weinsteins specifically to market Moore's film.

Disney chief executive Michael Eisner is quoted as saying, " Disney did not want a film in the middle of the political process because we believe that theme park and entertainment consumers do not look for us to take sides."

In a settlement reached last week, the Weinsteins repaid Disney for all costs of the film to date, estimated at around $6 million. It is agreed that any profits from the film's distribution that go to Miramax or Disney will be donated to charity.