Dubai: A successful politician is reaching new highs as he becomes head of a major international organisation and is widely tipped to become his country’s next ruler, but when his sexual exploits are exposed in scandal after scandal, his dreams come crashing down around him.
It could be the plot of major Hollywood movie. And it is. But it is also the story of former IMF-chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, whose rise in political power came to a screeching halt after he was arrested in New York in May 2011 on attempted rape charges. The charges were later dropped, but it was only the beginning. In that same year, a Frenchwoman claimed Strauss-Kahn raped her, and in 2012, French prosecutors accused him of bringing in prostitutes to personal parties and charged him and 13 others with aggravated pimping. The former charge was dismissed due to lack of evidence, while prosecutors are currently recommended the latter charge be dropped as well.
Despite the fact that Strauss-Kahn is unlikely to be convicted, the damage was done, and he resigned from the IMF after his New York arrest. His scandal-laden life is now the inspiration for ‘Welcome to New York,’ a movie directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Gerard Depardieu in the lead role. A trailer for the film was released last month but removed by producers, according the Huffington Post, and featured sex, drugs and innuendo.
The movie focuses on the events in New York and the subsequent court battle, as well as Strauss-Kahn’s relationship with his wife, French journalist Anne Sinclair, according to France 24. The news organisation’s website also reports that the film is careful to omit any references to Strauss-Kahn by name in order to avoid a lawsuit, after he won 50,000 euros in damages from a former mistress who wrote a book about their affair. He failed to ban the book, however,
A Guardian article also quotes the co-head of the film’s distributor, Vincent Maraval, as saying that the story is focused on a fall from grace and how it impacts the couple involved. Sinclair, whose role is played by Jacqueline Basset, divorced from Strauss-Kahn in March.
‘Welcome to New York’ does not yet have a release date.
