Child abuse documentary Hollywood 'doesn't want you to see' goes viral

Evan Henzi, who is interviewed in the documentary, was 11 years old when he was assaulted by his manager
Esponda Productions
Harriet Pavey2 November 2017

A documentary about an alleged Hollywood paedophile ring has gone viral after being posted online, two years after it was rejected by the film and television industry.

An Open Secret, which lifts the lid on child abuse in the showbiz world, has been watched more than 3 million times after creators released the film for free.

The documentary, billed as “the film Hollywood doesn’t want you to see”, was given no theatrical release or television deal when it was completed in 2015. It focuses on the alleged abuse of young boys and teenagers seeking entry to the industry.

“We got zero Hollywood offers to distribute the film. Not even one. Literally no offers for any price whatsoever,” Gabe Hoffman, a Florida-based hedge fund manager who financed the film, told the Guardian.

An Open Secret’s creators decided to upload the film to video-sharing website Vimeo this month, in the wake of a sex abuse scandal sweeping Hollywood.

Hoffman said he had intended to end the free online viewings on Tuesday, but because of a surge of public interest, the window has been extended until Sunday.

Director Amy Berg and her team obtained information about an alleged a paedophile ring in Hollywood, including managers, agents, publicists and directors, for the film.

It tells of the lavish parties where men allegedly plied boys with alcohol and drugs and traded them for sex. Other perpetrators are said to have spent years grooming victims and earning the trust of their families before sexually assaulting them.

The film features interviews with Evan Henzi, who was 11 years old when his manager, Martin Weiss, started assaulting him. Weiss pleaded no contest - a non-committal plea which carries the same effect as pleading guilty - in 2012 to two counts of child molestation, and was sentenced to a year in jail and five years’ probation. He was freed immediately due to time served.

“I shared my story in An Open Secret so other victims who have been molested for years just like me can heal,” Henzi, now 24, said this week.

“When the film was released, I witnessed a lot of support by people who actually saw the film. What I did not witness was support from film festivals or Hollywood at large to promote the film,” he added.

The creators of the documentary hope it will eventually make its way on to television, Amazon or Netflix. You can watch it here.

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