Rebel Wilson accuses producers of blocking directorial debut’s premiere at TIFF, ‘I was met with absolute viciousness and retaliatory behaviour’

Wilson's heartfelt plea emphasised the collective effort behind "The Deb," involving hundreds of passionate contributors.

Rebel Wilson has accused backers of her directorial debut of obstructing its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The Australian actress and filmmaker asserted that her film "The Deb," a charming original musical, was slated as TIFF 2024's closing night feature.

However, Wilson alleged that producers Amanda Ghost and Gregor Cameron, along with executive producer Vince Holden, misappropriated funds from the indie project and engaged in retaliatory actions to prevent its showcase. In a candid social media video, Wilson expressed profound disappointment over the situation, describing the producers' behaviour as "absolute viciousness" and claiming they attempted to sabotage the film's festival debut.

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Wilson said, “To have the joy of the movie being selected is one thing. But then to have the business partners that are involved in that movie turn around and say that, ‘No, the movie can’t premiere,’ is just beyond devastating. Why are they saying this? Why are they stopping it from premiering at Toronto? Well, this dates back to October of last year, where I discovered bad behaviour by these business partners. I just tell it how it is. So I’m just going to tell you who they are, the so-called producers of the film. I use that phrase very lightly. Their names are Amanda Ghost and Gregory Cameron, and an executive producer who works with them called Vince Holden. So these are the people involved.”

She added, “And so I reported their bad behaviour when I found out. It was not minor things but big things, you know, inappropriate behaviour towards the lead [actor] and embezzling funds from the film’s budget which we really needed because we’re a small movie. So kind of really important things. Since I reported that behaviour, I have been met with absolute viciousness and retaliatory behaviour. So I’m there on set. I’m trying to film my movie with my gorgeous Australian cast and crew who are so amazing shout out to all of you guys. And yet every step of the way, these people who I complained about then tried to make my life hell.”

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“In the meantime, though, I still finished the movie. I made this great movie, ‘The Deb.’ And then now, almost at the finish line, they’re saying it can’t come out. They might not release it, they might bury it,” she continued.

“Yeah, so that’s my dilemma. If the movie doesn’t play at Toronto, it’s because of these absolute f—wits,” Wilson concluded.

Wilson's heartfelt plea emphasised the collective effort behind "The Deb," involving hundreds of passionate contributors. She vowed to continue fighting for the film's exposure, despite the hurdles imposed by what she referred to as "absolute f—wits.”