Just got this in my email!_ _ _ _ _
May 17, 2007
Friends,
It's a wrap! My new film, "Sicko," is all done and will have its world premiere this
Saturday night at the Cannes Film Festival. As with "Bowling for Columbine" and
"Fahrenheit 9/11," we are honored to have been chosen by this prestigious festival
to screen our work there.
My intention was to keep "Sicko" under wraps and show it to virtually no one before
its premiere in Cannes. That is what I have done and, as you may have noticed if you
are a recipient of my infrequent Internet letters, I have been very silent about
what I've been up to. In part, that's because I was working very hard to complete
the film. But my silence was also because I knew that the health care industry -- an
industry which makes up more than 15 percent of our GDP -- was not going to like
much of what they were going to see in this movie and I thought it best not to upset
them any sooner than need be.
Well, going quietly to Cannes, I guess, was not to be. For some strange reason, on
May 2nd the Bush administration initiated an action against me over how I obtained
some of the content they believe is in my film. As none of them have actually seen
the film (or so I hope!), they decided, unlike with "Fahrenheit 9/11," not to wait
until the film was out of the gate and too far down the road to begin their attack.
Bush's Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, launched an investigation of a trip I took
to Cuba to film scenes for the movie. These scenes involve a group of 9/11 rescue
workers who are suffering from illnesses obtained from working down at Ground Zero.
They have received little or no help with their health care from the government. I
do not want to give away what actually happens in the movie because I don't want to
spoil it for you (although I'm sure you'll hear much about it after it unspools
Saturday). Plus, our lawyers have advised me to say little at this point, as the
film goes somewhere far scarier than "Cuba." Rest assured of one thing: no laws were
broken. All I've done is violate the modern-day rule of journalism that says, "ask
no questions of those in power or your luncheon privileges will be revoked."
This preemptive action taken by the Bush administration on the eve of the "Sicko"
premiere in Cannes led our attorneys to fear for the safety of our film, noting that
Secretary Paulson may try to claim that the content of the movie was obtained
through a violation of the trade embargo that our country has against Cuba and the
travel laws that prohibit average citizens of our free country from traveling to
Cuba. (The law does not prohibit anyone from exercising their first amendment right
of a free press and documentaries are protected works of journalism.)
I was floored when our lawyers told me this. "Are you saying they might actually
confiscate our movie?" "Yes," was the answer. "These days, anything is possible.
Even if there is just a 20 percent chance the government would seize our movie
before Cannes, does anyone want to take that risk?"
Certainly not. So there we were last week, spiriting a duplicate master negative out
of the country just so no one from the government would take it from us. (Seriously,
I can't believe I just typed those words! Did I mention that I'm an American, and
this is America and NO ONE should ever have to say they had to do such a thing?)
I mean, folks, I have just about had it. Investigating ME because I'm trying to help
some 9/11 rescue workers our government has abandoned? Once again, up is down and
black is white. There are only two people in need of an investigation and a trial,
and the desire for this across America is so widespread you don't even need to see
the one's smirk or hear the other's sneer to know who I am talking about.
But no, I'm the one who now has to hire lawyers and sneak my documentary out of the
country just so people can see a friggin' movie. I mean, it's just a movie! What on
earth could I have placed on celluloid that would require such a nonsensical action
against me?
Ok. Scratch that.
Well, I'm on my way to Cannes right now, a copy of the movie in my bag. Don't feel
too bad for me, I'll be in the south of France for a week! But then it's back to the
U.S. for a number of premieres and benefits and then, finally, a chance for all of
you to see this film that I have made. Circle June 29th on your calendar because
that's when it opens in theaters everywhere across the country and Canada (for the
rest of the world, it opens in the fall).
I can't wait for you to see it.
Yours,
Michael Moore
P.S. I will write more about what happens from Cannes. Stay tuned on my website,
http://www.michaelmoore.com .
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