Michael Moore “hides film”
Controversial documentary maker Michael Moore has hidden a copy of his latest film in Canada due to fears US officials may confiscate it.
Moore told journalists of his elaborate efforts to ensure the release of the forthcoming film Sicko during a New York press conference yesterday.
The director claims that he is under investigation by the US treasury department over the documentary, which criticises the American healthcare system.
While filming Moore took three rescue workers from the September 11th terror attacks to Cuba to seek health treatment, amid claims that they were unable to access appropriate care in America.
The director says he has since received a letter from the US government notifying him that he is under investigation on suspicion of violating a long-standing trade embargo which restricts the ability of American citizens to travel to Cuba without permission.
Moore, who insists that he has not broken any laws as his trip to Cuba was undertaken on journalistic grounds, now fears that US officials will try to confiscate Sicko.
“We took measures a few weeks ago to place a master copy of this film in Canada so if they did take our negative we would have a duplicate negative of this film in Canada,” said Moore, in comments reported by the Reuters news agency.
The colorful movie maker previously attacked the current White House administration in his 2004 film Fahrenheit 9/11, which criticised the American government’s actions in regard to the 2001 World Trade Center attacks.
A letter sent by lawyer David Boies to the US treasury’s office of foreign assets control, and obtained by the Associated Press, claims that Moore has been “selected for discriminatory treatment” by officials because of his earlier work.
