| Weiner | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Cinematography | Josh Kriegman |
| Edited by | Eli B. Despres |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Sundance Selects Showtime |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 96 minutes [1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1,702,489 [2] |
Weiner is a 2016 American fly-on-the-wall political documentary film by Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg about Anthony Weiner's campaign for Mayor of New York City during the 2013 mayoral election.
The documentary follows congressman Anthony Weiner and his wife Huma Abedin, shortly after his 2011 resignation when scandalous photos of Weiner mysteriously appeared on his Twitter account. [3] The photos led to a tumultuous spiral as more and more pictures of the congressman in various states of undress began to leak to the public. [4] The documentary revolves around Weiner's attempted comeback from his initial resignation during his 2013 campaign in the Democratic Party primary for Mayor of New York City. His campaign goes well at first, with many New Yorkers willing to give him a second chance as evidenced in polls putting him at or near the top of a tight mayoral race. [5]
During the filming of the documentary, however, additional leaked photos and evidence of online sexual activity surface, including explicit text conversations with women and a teenaged child that occurred well after his 2011 resignation from Congress. The mood of the campaign switches from exuberance to pain. Intimate views are captured of Weiner, his wife and his campaign staff struggling with the new revelations and the media firestorm that ensues. Weiner's wife, an adviser to Hillary Clinton, comes under fire during the scandal. [6] The relationship between the couple becomes strained, and in a couple of instances, the camera is asked to leave the room. [7] [8] Weiner's campaign manager quits when a press conference is held in which Weiner comes clean about his sexting, and his campaign begins to take a downward spiral. Weiner comes in fifth place in the polls, garnering only 4.9% of the popular vote. [9]
People documented in the film include:
The film also features archival footage from:
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016. It was released theatrically in the United States in May 2016 and broadcast on Showtime in October 2016. Starting in June 2014, the film began releasing internationally in the UK, Netherlands, Scandinavia, Australia, and Japan, and television broadcasts in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Israel, Belgium, and Holland.[ citation needed ] The film received an R rating from the MPAA for language and some sexual material.
Upon release, Anthony Weiner declined to endorse the film and claimed he had no intention of ever seeing the final product, saying "I already know how it ends."
After the film was released, Weiner claimed that "Kriegman had assured him verbally and in emails that he would not use Abedin in the film without her consent", and that Abedin never granted permission for Kriegman to use the footage. When asked if he will sue the filmmakers, Weiner didn't give a definitive answer. The filmmakers disputed Weiner's claim, stating that they clearly "had consent from everyone who appears in the film, including Anthony and Huma." [10]
The film received near universal acclaim by critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 97% of 177 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10.The website's consensus reads: "Weiner uses sharp insight and untrammeled access to offer a portrait of a political and personal collapse that's as queasy as it is undeniably compelling." [11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [12]
Wendy Ide of The Observer gave it four out of five stars, writing: "Edited to perfection, this is like watching the slow-motion footage of a building collapsing. Weiner’s long-suffering wife, Huma Abedin … is a key sympathetic presence in the film. But it is Weiner himself, a likable narcissist with an Olympic capacity for vanity and self-delusion, who is every documentary-maker's dream subject." [13]
Brian Lowry of CNN wrote: What Weiner makes painfully clear is the collateral damage of Weiner's actions, not merely on his wife but those who believed in and devoted their energy to his campaign. To that extent, it's possible to share his politics and still see him as a fatally flawed vessel for them. [14]
The film performed decently, earning a worldwide box office total of $1,751,120 on an unknown budget. Of that $1,751,120, the film made $1,675,196 domestically and $75,924 internationally. On a per-theater average, the film made about $16,835 per screen. [15]
| Award | Category | Recipients and Nominees | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| American Cinema Editors Eddie Awards | Best Edited Documentary Feature | Eli B. Despres | Nominated |
| Austin Film Critics Association | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| Australian Film Critics Association [25] | Best Documentary Film (Local or International) | Weiner | Nominated |
| Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Documentary Feature Film | Weiner | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| Central Ohio Film Critics Association | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| Champs-Élysées Film Festival | Prix du jury | Weiner | Won |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| Chlotrudis Awards | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| Cinema Eye Honors Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking | Weiner | Nominated |
| Outstanding Achievement in Editing | Eli B. Despres | Nominated | |
| Cinema Eye Audience Choice Prize | Weiner | Nominated | |
| The Unforgettables | Huma Abedin, Anthony Weiner | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | Best First Documentary (Theatrical Feature) | Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg | Won |
| Best Documentary Feature | Weiner | Nominated | |
| Best Political Documentary | Weiner | Nominated | |
| Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| Denver Film Critics Society | Best Documentary Film | Weiner | Nominated |
| Detroit Film Critics Society | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| Directors Guild of America | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary | Josh Kriegman & Elyse Steinberg | Nominated |
| Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Documentary | Weiner | Won |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association | Documentary of the year | Weiner | Nominated |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | Best Documentary Film | Weiner | Nominated |
| Gotham Awards | Audience Award | Weiner | Nominated |
| Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated | |
| Grierson British Documentary Awards | Best Cinema Documentary | Weiner | Won |
| Hamburg Film Festival | Political Film Award | Weiner | Nominated |
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards | Best Documentary Feature | Weiner | Nominated |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | Best Documentary | Weiner | 2nd place |
| Indiewire Critics Poll | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| Best First Feature | Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg | Nominated | |
| International Documentary Association | Best Feature | Weiner | Nominated |
| Iowa Film Critics Awards | Best Documentary | Weiner | 3rd place |
| Jerusalem Film Festival | Best International Film | Weiner | Nominated |
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| Montclair Film Festival | David Carr Award for Truth in Non-Fiction Filmmaking | Weiner | Won |
| Bruce Sinofsky Prize for Documentary Feature | Weiner | Nominated | |
| New Hampshire Film Festival | Audience Choice – Documentary | Weiner | Won |
| North Carolina Film Critics Association | Best Documentary Film | Weiner | Nominated |
| North Texas Film Critics Association | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Documentary | Weiner | 2nd Place |
| Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Documentary Film | Weiner | Nominated |
| San Diego Film Critics Society Awards | Best Documentary | Weiner | Won |
| Sarasota Film Festival | Special Jury Prize - Unprecedented Look at Politics in Crisis | Weiner | Won |
| Seattle Film Critics Awards | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | Best Documentary Feature | Weiner | Nominated |
| Sundance Film Festival | U.S. Grand Jury Prize – Documentary | Weiner | Won |
| Television Critics Association | Outstanding Achievement in News and Information | Weiner | Nominated |
| Utah Film Critics Association Awards | Best Documentary Feature Film | Weiner | 2nd place |
| Village Voice Film Poll | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Documentary | Weiner | Nominated |
| Women Film Critics Circle Awards | Worst Male Images in a Movie | Weiner | Nominated |
| Zurich Film Festival | Best International Documentary Film | Weiner | Nominated |
Citizens United is a conservative 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization in the United States founded in 1988. In 2010, the organization won a U.S. Supreme Court case known as Citizens United v. FEC, which struck down as unconstitutional a federal law prohibiting corporations and unions from making expenditures in connection with federal elections. The organization's president and chairman is David Bossie.
Dinesh Joseph D'Souza is an American right-wing political commentator, conspiracy theorist, author, filmmaker and convicted felon who received a presidential pardon by Donald Trump for his crimes. He has made several financially successful films, and written over a dozen books, several of them New York Times best-sellers.
Judicial Watch (JW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit American conservative activist group that files Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits to investigate claimed misconduct by government officials. Founded in 1994, Judicial Watch has primarily targeted Democrats, in particular the administrations of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as Hillary Clinton's role in them. It was founded by attorney Larry Klayman, and has been led by Tom Fitton since 2003.
Anthony David Weiner is an American former politician who served as the U.S. representative for New York's 9th congressional district from 1999 until his resignation in 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he consistently carried the district with at least 60% of the vote. Weiner resigned from Congress in June 2011 after it was revealed he sent sexually suggestive photos of himself to different women, including a minor.
Hillaryland was the self-designated name of a group of core advisors to Hillary Clinton, when she was First Lady of the United States and again when, as United States Senator, she was one of the Democratic Party candidates for president in the 2008 U.S. election.
Huma Mahmood Abedin is an American political staffer who was vice chair of Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign for President of the United States. Before that, Abedin was deputy chief of staff to Clinton when she was U.S. Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. She was also the traveling chief of staff and former assistant to Clinton during her 2008 presidential campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election.
Justin Cooper is a former adviser to Bill Clinton, former President of the United States. Cooper first worked within the Office of Science and Technology in the Clinton administration before later becoming an aide for Clinton in his post-presidential years.
Anthony Weiner is a former member of the United States House of Representatives from New York City who has been involved in multiple scandals related to sexting.
Teneo is a public relations and advisory company. The company was founded in June 2011 by Declan Kelly, Paul Keary, and Doug Band, and currently has more than 1,450 employees located in 40 offices. In 2019, Teneo sold a majority stake to CVC Capital Partners, at a total valuation of around $700 million. Today the company is led by Chairwoman Ursula Burns and CEO Paul Keary.
The Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs is a London-based scholarly institution whose stated purpose is to advance the study of Muslims in non-Muslim nations. It holds conferences and publishes books and journals. Pakistani-born Dr. Saleha Mahmood Abedin, the mother of Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, is Director of the Institute. It was founded in 1978 by Dr. Syed Zainul Abedin, Dr. Saleha Mahmood Abedin's husband, who is from India, and who was educated at Aligarh Muslim University and University of Pennsylvania. Abdullah Omar Naseef, then president of the Muslim World League and president of King Abdulaziz University, provided backing to Abedin for the institute's formation.
The 2016 presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton was announced in a YouTube video on April 12, 2015. Clinton was the 67th United States Secretary of State and served during the first term of the Obama administration, from 2009 to 2013. She was previously a United States Senator from New York from 2001 to 2009, and is the wife of former President Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton served as First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001.
During her tenure as United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton drew controversy by using a private email server for official public communications rather than using official State Department email accounts maintained on federal servers. After a years-long FBI investigation, it was determined that Clinton's server did not contain any information or emails that were clearly marked classified. Federal agencies did, however, retrospectively determine that 100 emails contained information that should have been deemed classified at the time they were sent, including 65 emails deemed "Secret" and 22 deemed "Top Secret". An additional 2,093 emails were retroactively designated confidential by the State Department.
Olivia Nuzzi is an American political reporter who was the Washington, D.C., correspondent for New York magazine from 2017 to 2024. Prior to her time at New York, Nuzzi was a writer for The Daily Beast covering the Trump 2016 presidential campaign. In September 2024, New York placed her on leave after she disclosed having a personal relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. while she was reporting on the campaign. The following month, Nuzzi and New York "parted ways".
Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party is a 2016 American political documentary film about 2016 American presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and a critique of the Democratic Party. The film is written and directed by conservative political commentator Dinesh D'Souza and Bruce Schooley. The film had a limited release on July 15, 2016, before a wide release on July 22, 2016, and accompanies a book by D'Souza by the same name.
James Cook is an American investor, banker, and financier. He served as managing partner of The U.S. Russia Investment Fund (TUSRIF) and Delta Capital Management and chairman and CEO of GE Capital in Russia. He was the co-founder of Aurora Russia Limited, AIM-listed private equity firm active in Russia. He was instrumental in turning around Russia's financial system after the 1998 Russian financial crisis, when he launched the first mortgage bank in Russia and became known as the "father of mortgage lending" in Russia. He later introduced the first revolving credit card in Russia and launched a nationwide leasing company in Russia. Recently, he was a major fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
"Pizzagate" is a conspiracy theory that went viral during the 2016 United States presidential election cycle, falsely claiming that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) had discovered a pedophilia ring linked to members of the Democratic Party while searching through Anthony Weiner's emails. It has been extensively discredited by a wide range of organizations, including the Washington, D.C. police.
Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign is an American book by political journalists Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes about Hillary Clinton's unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign. The book was published on April 18, 2017, by Crown Publishing Group, and aims to determine why Clinton lost the election to Donald Trump. It is a follow-on to the same authors' 2014 work HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton and made use of many of their large number of contacts within Clintons' circles. Shattered spent two weeks in the New York Times Best Seller list.
Hillary is a 2020 American documentary film about Hillary Clinton directed by Nanette Burstein. It had its premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, and was selected to be shown at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival. The film received overall positive reviews from critics, who praised it for its exploration of Clinton's life.
Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds is a 2021 memoir by Huma Abedin, longtime advisor and aide to Hillary Clinton.
