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    After Oprah’s exit, Russell Simmons documentary acquired by HBO Max

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1640 Views
    Sil Lai Abrams, from back left, director Amy Ziering, director Kirby Dick, Drew Dixon, bottom left, and Sheri Hines pose for a portrait to promote the film "On the Record" at the Music Lodge during the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP)

    By Jake Coyle, Film Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    The documentary about several women who have accused Russell Simmons of sexual abuse has found a distributor after Oprah Winfrey's exit from the film left it in the lurch. 

    HBO Max on Monday said it acquired Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering's film, "On the Record," following its premiere last week at the Sundance Film Festival. Along with other stories, "On the Record" tracks the decision of music executive Drew Dixon to publicly state that her then-boss Simmons raped her at his New York home in 1995.

    Simmons, the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, has denied all accusations of sexual abuse. 

    "On the Record" had been set to be released by Apple TV Plus, with Winfrey as an executive producer. But in the weeks ahead of the film's Sundance premiere, Winfrey departed the film because she said she that while she believed Dixon, she felt more reporting was needed on her story. 

    Yet "On the Record" made a strong impression at Sundance, where standing ovations greeted Dixon and other accusers, including Sil Lai Abrams and Sheri Hines. Critics called the film a powerful documentary that brings issues of race into #MeToo discussions. 

    "The fierce determination of Drew Dixon and all the women who bravely chose to share their stories in 'On the Record' moved us profoundly," said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max, in a statement. 

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    Tags:HBO MaxKirby DickOn The RecordOprah WinfreyRussell Simmons



    William Dafoe, Jonathan Bailey and Peter Dinklage join the voice cast for Starburn Industries’ “Lincoln in the Bardo”

    Friday, August 28, 2026
    Peter Dinklage (photo by Whitney Matewe)

    Actors Willem Dafoe, Jonathan Bailey and Peter Dinklage have joined the voice cast of Starburns Industries’ “Lincoln in the Bardo,” based on acclaimed author George Saunders’ New York Times bestseller and 2017 Booker Prize-winner.  Saunders adapted the screenplay, with Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Duke Johnson directing.  It was announced earlier that Tom Hanks stars as the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, in the live action portion of the film.  CAA Media Finance and WME Independent are handling sales at the upcoming TIFF: The Market.

    The film employs a unique blend of stop-motion animation and live action to explore one of the most intimate moments of Lincoln’s life, centering on his relationship with his recently deceased eleven-year-old son.  Blending history and imagination, the story unfolds through an unforgettable ensemble of characters – living and dead, historical and invented – to explore themes of love, empathy, and the human capacity for connection in the face of unimaginable grief.

    Reverend Everly Thomas – the ghost of a minister who died believing he would go to heaven, but, to his dismay, found out otherwise – is voiced by Dafoe.  Bailey is voicing Roger Bevins, the ghost of a young gay man who took his own life over a failed love affair and instantly regretted it.  Dinklage is voicing Hans Vollman, a ghost obsessed with his dream of being reunited with his much-younger wife.

    Four-time Academy Award nominee Dafoe’s credits include animated films “Finding Nemo,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “The Boy and the Heron,” as well as “At Eternity’s Gate,” “The Florida Project,” “Shadow of the Vampire” and seminal Vietnam movie... Read More

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