Donald Trump Film Gets Toronto Film Festival Screening, To Play On 2,000-Plus Screens After Kickstarter Campaign Raises Over $160K

A controversial film about the life of former President Donald Trump in the 1970s and 1980s is adding another prominent film festival screening to its list of accolades ahead of a movie theater premiere in October.

What Happened: Despite lawsuit threats from Trump and his team, the rollout of the film titled "The Apprentice" is ramping up coverage ahead of the 2024 election.

The film had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where it received an eight-minute standing ovation. It was then shown at the Telluride Film Festival in August.

It is set to screen for press and special guests at the Toronto Film Festival on Thursday night, per Deadline.

Briarcliff Entertainment is distributing the film for a theatrical run beginning on Oct. 11 after its time on the festival circuit.

The movie, directed by Ali Abbasi, tells a coming-of-age story about Trump's rise in power. It stars Sebastian Stan as young Trump and Jeremy Strong as lawyer and mentor, Roy Cohn.

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Kickstarter Campaign: The film has been controversial due to several of the topics discussed, including an alleged rape by Trump of his then-wife Ivana Trump.

Billionaire Daniel Snyder, a Trump supporter, previously backed the film through his company, Kinematics. He later voiced opposition to the subject matter and demanded a recut. Producers eventually bought out Kinematics’ share in the film for $7 million versus the original $5 million Snyder invested.

To help with the film's finances and the theatrical release, Abbasi and the film's team launched a Kickstarter campaign.

At last check, the film's Kickstarter campaign has raised over $172,000, surpassing the original goal of $100,000.

The film has 2,445 backers for the Kickstarter campaign, which is being called "Release the Apprentice."

"Help us promote and defend the acclaimed Trump biopic that Corporate America is scared to show you," the Kickstarter page reads. The more money raised will help keep the movie in theaters for longer and make sure more people "see the movie Trump tried to block,” the campaign announced.

Those who back the fundraising campaign get various rewards depending on their donation amount. A $10 donation gets campaign updates on the film and backer badges on Kickstarter. A $25 donation gets rights to stream the film when it hits on-demand and a special thanks on the website. Donating $100 can get a person's name in the film credits as a thanks.

A signed movie poster by the film's stars Stan and Strong is being given to anyone who pledges $300 or more. Larger donations can also earn a person tickets for future screenings, or on-set memorabilia like replica cufflinks or an on-screen toupee prop worn by Stan.

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Image: “Release The Apprentice” Kickstarter Campaign