Like many others in Hollywood, the makers of Wind River—a film about the sexual abuse of Native American women—have distanced themselves from the Weinstein Company, partly in hopes of preserving their awards buzz.
Besides the film’s subject matter being incongruent in light of the multiple allegations of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein, producers don’t want the association to ruin their Oscar chances. The Weinstein name will thus be erased from both the video and streaming releases, as well as awards screeners for Oscar consideration.
This removal of the Weinstein name came after heavy lobbying from Sheridan, the film’s stars Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen (the latter a rape treatment center volunteer), producer Basil Iwanyk, and the willingness of Acacia, led by Matthew George, to fund the campaign. The home video deal put in place long ago with Lionsgate remains, and since DVDs have yet to hit stores there was time to excise the Weinstein mention, just as there was in the cut that will be streamed on Netflix.
Sources said the film is eyeing the categories of Best Film, for Sheridan in the Best Director and Best Original Screenplay categories, and for Renner in Best Actor and Olsen as Best Actress.
