Mike Fleming

Harvey Weinstein was all over the Toronto Film Festival this week acquiring three high-profile films in Dirty Girl and Submarine and Sarah’s Key, and unveiling Oscar-buzzed The King’s Speech. But he probably didn’t expect to be at the center of a deal for a film where he’s the onscreen star. IFC has announced it acquired worldwide rights to Unauthorized: The Harvey Weinstein Project, the Barry Avrich-directed and produced documentary narrated by Peter Fonda about the larger-than-life film mogul.

It “is a powerful, uncensored, no-holds-barred account that traces Weinstein’s path from concert promoter on the cold streets of Buffalo to his first trip to the Cannes Film Festival, where he arrived with one pair of pants and closed his first movie deal, to winning an Oscar, and breaking the bank with his first $100 million film,” IFC said. “It examines his complex relationships with his brother, his staff, and the Hollywood community at large and features interviews with industry insiders and the Hollywood creative community.”

Avrich said in the release: “I believe that great stories must be told. Harvey and Bob Weinstein, without a question, redefined so many rules of Hollywood marketing, distribution and filmmaking that you simply can’t ignore their impact on history. Many of their business principles and strategies also redefined other industry practices and quite frankly, other industries. Without Hollywood’s ‘Last Bully’, there would be no Pulp Fiction, no one would have known about that English patient, Rob Marshall would still be a chorus boy and Quentin would be recommending Bruce Lee’s greatest hits in some video store. IFC Films is a great home for my film and I am thrilled that it will be receiving such a prominent release.”