James Toback Film Premiere Receives Backlash At Oldenburg Film Festival

The James Toback film The Private Life of a Modern Woman starring Sienna Miller will make its German premiere at the Oldenburg Film Festival and there has been an outcry of disapproval considering the sexual assault allegations hovering over the disgraced filmmaker.

The film made its premiere last year at Venice and is set to bow at the fest Saturday. Distributor Paul Thiltges took to Twitter to defend the film screening at Oldenburg writing, “We support Sienna Miller’s world class performance in this movie. She is in every single scene, and she is brillant. We love the movie and will continue to defend it against all odds.”

It didn’t take too long for women to come for him.

Actress Chantal Cousineau, who accused Toback of harassment last year, responded “THIS is #rapeculture in the flesh. Placing a woman #siennaMiller in every scene, does not make it okay to film a movie by known #Predator #JamesToback. The over 400 women stand together in opposition of this film and ANY film made by or using a #sexualPredator.”

Actor-producer Mary Monahan, who also accused Toback, wrote: “I stand with the other 400 women and counting who have accused #JamesToback of sexual assault and/or sexual harassment in saying he should never be in a position of power again. Respect those who have been traumatized and re-traumatized.”

As of now, it seems that the screening will stay put at Oldenburg. A post on the official Facebook page for the festival echoed Thiltges in their defense of screening the film saying: “BECAUSE WE DARE TO CELEBRATE SIENNA MILLER!”

In October 2017, the Los Angeles Times published an exposé in which 38 women came forward accusing the director of sexual harassment. Toback denied the claims in an interview with Rolling Stone. Shortly after the accusations came out, Times reporter Glenn Whipp, tweeted that the number of women who have contacted him about their encounters with Toback reached 310. Actresses Selma Blair and Rachel McAdams came forward with their own incidents with the director in Vanity Fair.