OSCAR

A rare behind the scenes, deep dive into Harvey Weinstein’s ethics as he rose to infamy.

Long before allegations of sexual misconduct, Weinstein infiltrated the independent movie scene with duplicitous business strategies. He was awarded with multiple Academy honors, becoming the indie golden child for almost three decades. Publicly championed by some of the greatest film makers in the world, Weinstein was, behind closed doors, feared, reviled, and vehemently detested by his peers.

Controlling, psychotic and deviant, Weinstein wooed the rich and famous, made stars of unknowns, and unknowns of stars. During the expansion and relevance of the indie film, festival entries and wins become votes for Oscars, the coveted symbol of accomplishment. The politics behind the festival circuit grow corrupt and expensive, but every win has it’s price. Tarantino’s rise, Redford’s decline, Paltrow’s exposure, all at the calculating hand of a Hollywood heretic.

We open at the 1999 Academy Awards as Shakespeare In Love triumphs miraculously over Saving Private Ryan. As real footage is replayed, Harrison Ford congratulates Weinstein and the beginning of his quarter century tirade is born.

Talking in the third person as Weinstein had want to do, he commanders every meeting, intimidating the pants off every person he comes into contact with, and sighting the rest with copious amounts of tuna fish. He regards Quentin Tarantino with an eery reverence that propels the young, strange auteur into mega stardom.

When Disney buys Miramax, the industry goes into shock. The Mikey Mouse honchos are looking for Oscars and Miramax delivers. Somehow, Disney’s brand is not tarnished and Weinstein collects the golden statues. While other independent production companies are tanking, Miramax breaks the box-office and festival tracks, reaping the accolades from Hollywood to Cannes, and all the honors in-between.