Angelina Jolie's film exploited my rape agony, says Ethiopian girl who 'wasn't told' Hollywood star was using her story
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- Published on Wednesday, 29 April 2015 03:41
- Written by Daily mail
Angelina Jolie's acclaimed film about the kidnap and rape of a 14-year-old girl in Ethiopia has helped burnish her image as a human rights campaigner.But the Hollywood star is at the centre of controversy after the makers of Difret were accused of exploiting the real-life victim at the heart of its story.Aberash Bekele, 32, is angry at the filmmakers for using her story without her knowledge or consent, and failing, initially, to pay her compensation.Miss Bekele was abducted so she could be pushed into a forced marriage. She escaped but was put on trial for killing one of her abductors. While she was released by the courts, local elders forced her into exile away from her home and family.Miss Jolie, who helped produce the film, spoke about how it will 'make a change' in the world and it was screened last year at her Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, hosted in London, co-chaired by then Foreign Secretary William Hague.But Miss Bekele believes the film, which has won awards around the world, could put her and her family in danger of reprisals. She was never consulted by the film-makers and did not give them permission to lay her traumas bare on screen.With the character based on Miss Bekele renamed Hirut and with the film focusing on her lawyer, the Ethiopian directors originally refused to acknowledge it was about her.Miss Bekele, now a mother of one, was the focus of a 1999 BBC documentary Schoolgirl Killer, made by journalist Charlotte Metcalf.
Miss Metcalf, who saw Miss Bekele earlier this year, said: 'Aberash feels doubly abducted not to have had the story acknowledged as hers. It's an absolute outrage that they should pretend it could have been anyone's story and she's still fighting that.'Today, she could be bathing in the glow of international admiration for her extraordinary courage and resilience. Instead she is invisible, her story taken.'Last year, Miss Bekele won an injunction banning the film from being shown in Ethiopia.She obtained it on the night of the film's premiere in the country, just after the producers had screened a message from Miss Jolie in which she admitted it was based on the 'untold story of Aberash Bekele'.While an out-of-court settlement eventually led to Miss Bekele being paid a small amount of money, she still lives in poverty and feels she has been exploited by the film.She told an Ethiopian newspaper: 'My life is on the edge [financially] while they are planning to premiere my story in a glamorous way. That is not right.'Miss Jolie, 39, a mother of six who is married to fellow star Brad Pitt, 51, has become increasingly known for her humanitarian work. The Oscar-winning actress is a special envoy for the United Nations high commissioner for refugees and was awarded an honorary damehood by the Queen for her efforts.Last year she spoke excitedly about Difret getting a wider release, saying: 'I cried for the first 20 minutes and then I smiled for the rest of it thinking I can't wait for the world to see it because it will make a change'.Her representatives did not respond to requests for a comment yesterday.
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Wanted 2 Still Happening, Wants Angelina Jolie And James McAvoy Back
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- Published on Thursday, 16 April 2015 04:05
- Written by Cinema blend
It’s been close to seven years since Wanted smashed into cinemas in such gloriously over-the-top fashion that it instantly developed a fervent fan-base. Talk of a sequel has come and gone with every subsequent film that its rich ensemble and creative team have been involved in, and the subject of Wanted 2 has once again risen during a discussing with director Timur Bekmambetov - who insists that he’d love for it to happen and wants his original stars to return.During his chat with Collider, Bekmambetov admitted that he’s already been hard at work on Wanted 2. In fact, he’s already outlined the story for the film, got a team on-board to bring it to fruition, and he even teased that he wants to work with all of the original cast members from the original; even the ones who died in the film. Said the director, I would be so happy to work with James [McAvoy], Konstantin [Khabensky], and Angelina [Jolie] again. This film has influenced my film career in the USA a lot. It means a great deal to me.There’s just one problem with Bekmambetov wanting to bring back Angelina Jolie’s character for Wanted 2: Fox died courtesy of her own curving bullet to save the life of James McAvoy’s Wesley at the end of the first Wanted.
Still, that slight hiccup can be solved with a simple explanation. The biggest problem regarding Wanted 2 is that everyone involved is waiting for Universal to figure out when the best possible start-date for it might be. Or as Bekmambetov but it, For my part, I already have the concept of the new story. I have all the screenwriters and co-producers on board. I’ve seen that some websites have even posted the posters of Wanted 2.However despite this hype and hysteria for the follow-up, Bekmambetov teased that Universal are dragging their feet as they look for the best possible date to squeeze it out. Apparently the studio is still contemplating possible pre-production start dates.It’s understandable why Universal is currently deciding when to put Wanted 2 into production. The original was a relentless rollercoaster of uniquely bombastic action that was punctuated with fine performances and stylish direction, plus it also grossed an impressive $341 million from its $75 million budget.But the adaptation of Mark Millar and J.G. Jones’ impressive comic-book series has since been joined on the big-screen by a plethora of other franchises from the medium, and now that the likes of Marvel, Warner Bros., and Fox have taken up all of the good dates for the next five years, it’s hard to know when Wanted 2 can both hit multiplexes and be successful at the same time.Fingers crossed the powers that be can figure out the answer to that conundrum soon, because another Wanted film would be the perfect anecdote to the cavalcade of superheroes that currently populate the cinematic schedules.
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Angelina Jolie In Running To Direct Wonder Woman Or Captain Marvel?
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- Published on Thursday, 16 April 2015 04:02
- Written by Comicbook
You can add Angelina Jolie's name to the list of directors that could replace Michelle MacLaren for Wonder Woman. This new report also confirms that Jolie is in the mix to direct Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel.Collider say they are "hearing that there’s the possibility" Jolie could direct Wonder Woman, which will star Gal Gadot (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice).They are also reporting that Jolie is "definitely under consideration for" Marvel's first female-led superhero movie, Captain Marvel. This was first reported by OK! Magazine back in February. Jolie only has two films under her belt. Even though, her filmography as a director is short it is also quite impressive as she has won praise for her work on 2014's Unbroken and 2011's In the Land of Blood and Honey. The former being deemed an "Oscar snub."Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman solo film will arrive in theaters June 23, 2017. Captain Marvel is scheduled for release on July 6, 2018.
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Angelina Jolie’s ‘Africa’ Project On Shaky Ground As Skydance Searches For Partner
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- Published on Friday, 10 April 2015 04:12
- Written by Deadline
Africa, the feature about paleo-archaeologist Richard Leaky’s battle with ivory poachers in Kenya that was to be directed by Angelina Jolie and star her husband Brad Pitt, is said to be on shaky ground. The feature was being produced through David Ellison’s Skydance Productions from a script by Oscar winner Eric Roth.Sources close to the project say things started to turn just recently over budget and creative issues. Tons of development money was poured into this project over years. Sources said that Ellison was going to put in 50% and then pulled back and said Skydance would put in 25%. This stemmed from creative differences over script; one of the complicating factors that contributed to where the film is now, is the role that the love story would play in the movie. Jolie always intended for the love story to be only a part of the movie; Skydance wanted the love story to become the centerpiece of the film. That’s not the film that Jolie was making. After that, Skydance halved its commitment, though sources on that side denied Skydance was ever in for more than 25%, the same commitment that Paramount Pictures made to the financing equation. Regardless, the budget is at $110M, and people are blinking. (Hey, everyone, we’re not in the ’80s anymore.) A draft of the script came in about five weeks ago. With a sweeping epic — and budget — of this nature, they are at odds now as to how to move forward. This has been a passion project for Ellison for many years, and they are now reaching out to other studios to find a partner.If they can’t find one, the picture is likely to fall completely apart. Who might come in for a production budget plus marketing and distribution fees is anyone’s guess. Doesn’t seem realistic. Stay tuned.The project was to be produced by Ellison, Jolie, Dana Goldberg and Jon Peters and also was going to reteam 11-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins with his Unbroken director Jolie.In the past, Skydance has been the muscle behind big-budget tentpoles including the Terminator reboot Terminator: Genisys, which is coming in July. It’s also working on the next Mission: Impossible pic, a second Jack Reacher movie and Star Trek 3.
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Angelina Jolie's Kids Have Best Reaction to KCAs Win!
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- Published on Sunday, 29 March 2015 09:00
- Written by Super User
Angelina Jolie gets big hugs from her kids Zahara, 10, and Shiloh, 8, after being announced as a winner at the 2015 Kids’ Choice Awards held at The Forum on Saturday (March 28) in Los Angeles.The 39-year-old actress picked up the award for Favorite Villain for her work in the movie Maleficent and her kids couldn’t have been more excited! “Different is good. So, don’t fit in. Don’t sit still. Don’t ever try to do less than you are,” Angelina said during her speech. “When somebody tells you you’re different, smile and hold your head up high and be proud. And as your villain, I would also say — cause a little trouble. It’s good for you.”
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