Yahoo News Dalí Foundation Says TIFF Film ‘Daliland’ Is Being Released Without Approval; Producers Respond
Mary Harron’s latest film Dalíland, a Salvador Dalí biopic set to debut at the Toronto film festival, did not receive approval from the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation, the organizaion has claimed.
The foundation, which artist Dalí created in 1983, said it heard about the film’s release through media reports, at which point it contacted the film’s producers to “regularize the rights” but received no response. The foundation also told Deadline that it contacted the film’s director and screenwriter.
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“The Spanish institution has not had the opportunity to preview it and exercise its duties in its role of protector of the painter’s work and image,” the foundation said of the film in a statement.
The statement continues to say that the foundation “reserves the right to exercise any legal action it deems appropriate to safeguard the artist’s prestige, that of his creative activity, of the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres and of the Dalí Foundation’s.”
The Catalonian-based foundation runs the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, the Gala-Dalí Castle in Púbol, and the Salvador Dalí House in Portlligat, three Spanish museums dedicated to the artist’s work.
Dalíland debuts on September 17 at the Toronto Film Festival and is produced by Zephyr Films, Pressman Film, Room 9 Entertainment, Neon Productions, Popcorn Group and Serein Productions. Bankside is handling international sales.
In response, a spokesperson for the production told us: “Daliland is a complex and favorable portrayal of Dalí, whose life and work we deeply respect. The film does not incorporate any material protected by copyright or otherwise and everything that we did was within our rights to make the film and tell this story.”
Set in New York and Spain in 1973, the film tells the story of the later years of the strange and fascinating marriage between Salvador Dalí and his tyrannical wife, Gala, as their seemingly unshakable bond begins to stress and fracture. Ben Kingsley stars in the title role of Salvador Dalí in the film, which was written by John C. Walsh.
The film’s ensemble cast is rounded out by Barbara Sukowa, Christopher Briney, Rupert Graves, Andreja Pejić, Suki Waterhouse, Mark McKenna, and Ezra Miller.
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