Sundance to Screen Doc On Michael Jackson’s Alleged Child Sexual Abuse

By Sameer Rao Jan 10, 2019

The Hollywood Reporter reported yesterday (January 9) that the Sundance Film Festival added "Leaving Neverland," a two-part documentary about Michael Jackson‘s alleged sexual assault of children, to its slate of premieres.

The Sundance Institute notes that "Leaving Neverland" highlights the stories of two men who accused Jackson of using his celebrity to manipulate and abuse them when they were children. Both men and their families appear in the project, which was directed and produced by British filmmaker Dan Reed ("Three Days of Terror: The Charlie Hebdo Attacks").

The film summary doesn’t name the two featured accusers, but Jackson’s estate names Wade Robson and James Safechuck in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that calls the documentary “just another rehash of dated and discredited allegations."

In 1994, Jackson settled a civil case and avoided criminal charges for allegedly sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy. In 2005, he was acquitted on charges of molesting a 15-year-old boy.