5 claims we learned from Michael Jackson documentary ‘Leaving Neverland’ at Sundance Film Festival
The HBO programme focuses on two men’s allegations that the pop star, who died in 2009, began to molest them from the ages of seven and 10, respectively
After weeks of resistance from Michael Jackson’s estate, HBO’s highly anticipated Leaving Neverland made its bow at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States last Friday morning.
“We’re getting real really early,” festival director John Cooper said as he introduced the four-hour documentary, which details allegations of child molestation against the late pop icon.
Police officers were stationed outside the Egyptian Theatre in Park City, Utah, in case of protesters, while health care professionals were on hand in the lobby for audience members who could be upset by the film’s graphic descriptions of sexual abuse claims involving minors.
Neverland centres on two accusers Wade Robson, 36, and James Safechuck, 40, who allege that Jackson – who died aged 50 in 2009 – began sexually abusing them at ages seven and 10, respectively.
At the time, both boys were diehard Jackson fans with entertainment aspirations of their own: Robson, who went on to choreograph for Britney Spears and *NSYNC as an adult, first met Jackson after winning a dance contest during the singer’s 1987 Bad tour in Australia.
Safechuck, a child actor, appeared with Jackson that same year in a Pepsi soft drinks commercial and says he began to hang out regularly with the star in Los Angeles.
Robson and Safechuck each filed lawsuits against Jackson’s estate in 2013 and 2014, respectively, although judges denied both for technical reasons, and did not evaluate the merits of the allegations. Both men were on hand at Friday’s screening in Park City, where they tearfully appeared with director Dan Reed.
Leaving Neverland has been denounced by Jackson’s estate and fans since the project was announced earlier this month.