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Harvey Weinstein, Cinema, and Sexual Assault

I’ve been reluctant to post about the allegations of sexual abuse against Harvey Weinstein not because I don’t believe the plethora of women coming forward but because the sheer scale and scope of the abuse that went on is so overwhelmingly abhorrent that I struggle for words.

Harvey Weinstein is a producer, and formerly the head of indie distributors Miramax and The Weinstein Company. If you were a fan of cinema in the 90s and the 00s his name was what you associated with bold, quality, indie cinema. In later years his name has been associated more and more with rumours of sexual assault and rape, rumours which, over the past few days, have proven true as many women including actresses but also temp workers and journalists, have stepped forward to talk to The New York Times, The New Yorker and The Guardian, about the harassment and assault they suffered at Weinstein’s hands.

The more information that comes out the angrier I get. Many people speak of knowing that Weinstein was abusive to his employees and that he chased after pretty young women while denying knowledge of the assaults. Many men were unwilling to see how this was gateway predatory behaviour and that Weinstein was doing much worse behind closed doors.

Weinstein is just the latest in a series of sexual predators who have been working in and around the film industry and who have been exposed in the past few months. L.A. theatre Cinefamily was accused of covering up rapes and sexual harassment by board members Hadrian Belove and Shadie Elnashai. Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League was revealed to have re-hired critic Devin Faraci after he admitted to sexually assaulting a woman. Ain’t It Cool News is on its knees after Harry Knowles was accused of sexual assaulting numerous journalists, Honest Trailer founds Andy Signore was revealed to have sexually harassed multiple women. And on it goes.

The one thing that these places have in common are that they are places where women have been pushed out, treated as disposal and purposely been denied positions of power. With this structure in place abusive predators thrive and their victims are shamed into silence.

There is a limit to what people outside of these spaces can do, but as a film fan what this blog is about, and what I have always encouraged everyone to do, is to throw their support behind women and women led projects and not just actresses or directors but producers, film critics, cinematographers, writers, composers, business owners etc. Buy tickets to women’s work, support women run indie theatres and distribution companies, click on the articles they write, follow them on twitter or instagram, believe them when they come forward about sexual abuse they’ve suffered. Make them so well known and well heard that if something like this happens they have support behind them and if someone comes to them for support they have the power to give it.

I know that there are many sexual assault survivors who are being inundated with details of abuse right now since this is dominating headlines and if this is you I hope you take whatever steps you need to protect yourself right now.

And finally I extend my fullest sympathy to the women who have been sexually assaulted by Weinstein. I believe them without question. Many have kept their assaults secret for decades and I hope that knowing that Weinstein has been fired and widely condemned for his predatory behaviour can finally bring them some measure of peace.