Apple Pulls Film From Festival After Producer Accused of Assault

(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. canceled the premiere of the movie “The Banker” at the American Film Institute’s annual festival, days after one of the movie’s producers was accused of assault by a family member.

Apple acquired worldwide rights to the film in July, and scheduled its release for December, in the thick of the Hollywood awards season. The picture stars Anthony Mackie as Bernard Garrett, an African-American who built a small financial business using a white man as a front.

“Last week some concerns surrounding the film were brought to our attention,” Apple said Wednesday in a statement. “We, along with the filmmakers, need some time to look into these matters and determine the best next steps. In light of this, we are no longer premiering ‘The Banker’ at AFI Fest.”

According to a report late Wednesday by the Hollywood Reporter, Cynthia and Sheila Garrett, daughters of the film’s protagonist, have accused their half-brother, Bernard Garrett Jr., of sexually assaulting them when they were children. Bernard Garrett Jr., a producer of “The Banker,” didn’t respond to the Reporter’s request for comment.

The sisters also criticized the film for omitting their mother’s role in building Bernard Garrett Sr.’s business. Cynthia Garrett tweeted the allegations about the assault and the storyline on Saturday.

Hollywood has been rocked in the past few years by the #TimesUp movement, which encourages people to come forward with their experiences of abuse and intimidation by people in power. Apple, which only recently began its full-fledged foray into the glitzy world of Hollywood with a new streaming-video service, is now getting a taste of how swiftly fortunes can change in a scandal-plagued industry.

The company hasn’t announced any changes to the planned commercial release. “The Banker” is scheduled to be one of Apple’s very first original films, along with “Hala,” which is also due out next month.

Apple has told producers that it’s sensitive to programming that could tarnish its brand, and has in the past delayed the release of shows due to foul language or other concerns.

“We purchased ‘The Banker’ earlier this year as we were moved by the film’s entertaining and educational story about social change and financial literacy,” the company said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Mark Gurman in San Francisco at mgurman1@bloomberg.net;Lucas Shaw in Los Angeles at lshaw31@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, John J. Edwards III

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