According to director Maria Schrader, the global premiere of She Said at the New York Film Festival, which is based on the book of the same name about the New York Times’ investigation into Harvey Weinstein’s alleged decades-long sexual assault, was a “memorable occasion.”
When she was still working on the Universal movie four weeks ago, Schrader said she and the rest of the production crew had hoped for a New York premiere.
The movie was shown at the esteemed autumn festival, which Weinstein himself attended back in the day. Additionally, the global premiere happened as Weinstein’s sexual assault trial in Los Angeles was starting. Early in 2020, he was found guilty of rape in a New York courtroom.
However, on Thursday night, the spotlight was on women as the red-carpet event welcomed not just the numerous women who worked on the movie, such as the Times journalists who contributed to the 2017 exposé, but also the women who accused Weinstein of assault.
Ashley Judd was among the survivors there; her candid story was a crucial element of the Times’ exposé, and she took part in a panel discussion following the movie.
Judd, who has been dealing with the loss of her mother Naomi Judd earlier this year, seemed to become upset as she recalled her mother’s support for her decision to speak out against Weinstein.
Sarah Ann Masse, a Weinstein accuser, is also a member of the cast. Masse plays business reporter Emily Steel, although her real-life experience (she claims he sexually attacked her when she applied to watch his kids) isn’t depicted in the movie.
Hire Survivors Hollywood founder Masse expressed her wish that Universal will hire survivors for this movie.
