[Ip-health] US government trying to seize new Michael Moore film, says producer

[Tahir Amin]

--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
Harvey Weinstein fires latest shot in battle over healthcare documentary

 *Charlotte Higgins in Cannes
Saturday May 19, 2007
The Guardian <http://www.guardian.co.uk/>*

 Cannes is smacking its lips in anticipation of filmmaker and provocateur
Michael Moore's latest jeremiad against the US administration, which
receives its premiere at the film festival today. Sicko, a documentary
tackling the state of American healthcare, focuses on the pharmaceutical
giants, and particularly on health insurers.

The film has already caused Moore - who won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 200=
4
with Fahrenheit 911 - to clash with the American authorities. Now, accordin=
g
to movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, whose Weinstein Company is behind the film=
,
the US government is attempting to impound the negative.

According to Weinstein, the US Treasury's moves meant "we had to fly the
movie to another country"- he would not say to where. "Let the secret
service find that out - though this is the same country that thought there
were weapons of mass destruction, so they'll never find it." He added that
he feared that if the film were impounded, there might be attempts to cut
some footage, in particular the last 20 minutes, which related to a trip to
Cuba. This, said Weinstein, "would not be good."

In March, Moore travelled to the Caribbean island with a group of emergency
workers from New York's Ground Zero to see whether they would receive bette=
r
care under the Castro regime than they had under George Bush. He had applie=
d
for permission to travel in October 2006 and received no reply.

In a letter dated May 2, the treasury department notified Moore that it was
investigating him for unlicensed travel to Cuba, or, as the missive put it,
engaging in "travel-related transactions involving Cuba."

Now team Moore is hitting back. Weinstein has hired an attorney, David
Boies, who has lodged a request under the US freedom of information act to
find out what motivated the treasury to begin its investigation. "They have
to tell us why they did it and what they did," said Weinstein. "And they ar=
e
not too happy about it."

Weinstein believes the investigation has a political agenda. "We want to
find out who motivated this. We suspect there may be interference from
another office," he said. "Otherwise, I don't understand why this would hav=
e
come about."

Weinstein named no suspects in this putative political interference, but
referred to outspoken critics of Moore on the Republican right - who tend t=
o
accuse him of peddling propaganda rather than of undertaking serious
journalism - including presidential hopeful Bob Thompson.

"Senator Thompson has come out with a tirade against Michael. Michael said
he'd debate him, but Thompson turned him down," said Weinstein.

He also said that insurers and pharmaceutical companies had "already sent
out letters advising employees how to react when the film comes out".

Weinstein appeared to be enjoying the brouhaha that the film is stirring up
before it has even screened. "I've already told the Treasury that they are
saving me money on advertising."

In Cannes, the Weinstein Company's offices are decorated with a mural of th=
e
rotund Moore sitting in a hospital waiting area flanked by a pair of
skeletons, and Sicko sticking plasters are being given away as promotional
gifts.

Moore's underlying thesis in Sicko relates to the structure of American
society. "Others see themselves as a collective that sinks or swims
together," he told Variety.

"It's important to have a safety net and free universal health care. In
America, unfortunately, we're more focused on what's in it for me. It's
every man for himself. If you're sick and have lost a job, it's not my
problem. Don't bother me."

The insurance companies are a negative force, he believes. "They get in the
way of taking care of those who are ill. They make it worse. We don't need
them," he said.

The health secretary, Patricia Hewitt, may be surprised by Moore's ringing =
-
if strictly speaking, factually inaccurate - endorsement for the NHS. "The
poorest Brit is healthier and lives longer than the wealthiest American," h=
e
said.

Of his journalistic style, he said: "It's the op-ed page. You don't say
that's not journalism. I present my opinion, my take on things, based on
indisputable facts. They could be wrong. I think they're right." Moore's
biggest hit to date has been Fahrenheit 911, which took $222m (=A3112m)
worldwide. He made Bowling For Columbine, his acclaimed film about US gun
culture, in 2002. The rightwing backlash has spawned a number of
documentaries questioning his methods, including Rick Caine and Debbie
Melnyk's Manufacturing Dissent. Moore has hired Al Gore's former press
secretary, Chris Lehane, to help him to deal with "the forces I'm up
against".