Miramax Won’t Distribute Moore’s ‘9/11’

Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Michael Eisner denied Wednesday that concerns about Florida tax breaks were behind the company’s decision not to release Michael Moore’s documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

In the documentary, Moore turns his populist, serio-comic style on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the military campaign in Iraq. The subject has made “Fahrenheit 9/11” a corporate hot potato since Miramax Films, a Disney subsidiary, agreed to finance it.

Eisner indicated in May 2003 that Miramax wouldn’t release the documentary and Moore said he got the official word Monday morning that Disney hadn’t changed its position. Moore’s Los Angeles-based agent, Ari Emanuel, told the New York Times that Eisner’s fear was that the documentary’s exploration of the Bush family’s connections to the family of Osama bin Laden might jeopardize tax incentives for its Walt Disney World theme park in Florida. Jeb Bush, the president’s brother, is Florida’s governor.

The Disney CEO on Wednesday called that claim “ridiculous” in a meeting with reporters at Disneyland. In an interview on CNBC, Eisner said Disney simply didn’t want to get ensnared in a political debate by distributing the documentary in a presidential election year.

“We’re such a nonpartisan company,” he said, people “do not look for us to take sides.”

Eisner predicted Moore wouldn’t have trouble finding a distributor. “I think it’s a totally appropriate film and I can think of about 11 people who would love to have it.”

A spokesman for the Florida Department of Revenue, citing public record laws, declined to say how much Disney pays in state taxes each year.

Analysts said they weren’t surprised by Disney’s decision on “Fahrenheit 9/11.” They noted Disney’s long-standing penchant for avoiding controversy. Disney once diffused a public relations fiasco over an Israeli government exhibit at its Epcot theme park in Florida by assuring critics that the company wasn’t taking sides in thorny Middle East politics.

The company zealously safeguards its image as a purveyor of wholesome family entertainment that is apolitical. In fact, Disney takes great pains to work both sides of the political fence in Washington. Although Eisner is a Democrat, Disney contributes to both Democratic and Republican candidates.

This isn’t the first time Disney has blocked Miramax from distributing a film. It happened with the comedy “Dogma,” which lampooned the Catholic Church, and with “Kids,” an NC-17-rated movie about teens in New York. In both cases, Miramax found alternate distribution.

When asked whether there was any risk of Gov. Jeb Bush retaliating against Disney if the documentary was released, the governor’s spokeswoman, Alia Faraj, said, “Absolutely not.”

“There are Florida statutes that outline the provisions for companies to be eligible for tax incentives,” she said. “That’s what we follow. The governor continues to encourage companies to move to the state of Florida.... Disney has been a good corporate partner.”

Moore dismissed claims he was using the situation to generate attention as “Fahrenheit 9/11” is set to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival, which begins next week.

“I don’t need publicity for people to go see my movies,” Moore said. “I think that was proven by my last film,” which was “Bowling for Columbine.”

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Times staff writers Rachel Abramowitz and Richard Verrier and Orlando Sentinel staff writer Sean Mussenden contributed to this report.