Rudy Giuliani Documentary to Track His ‘Downward Spiral’ and ‘Fall from Grace’
A new documentary about the public life of Rudy Giuliani is now in production, and it’s based on the 2020 Rolling Stone article “What Happened to America’s Mayor?” by Seth Hettena. The film will be directed by Academy Award-nominated “Cutie and the Boxer” filmmaker Zach Heinzerling, and two-time News and Documentary Emmy Award winner Gabrielle Schonder, known for her contributions to “Frontline” and “60 Minutes.”
The film is being produced and financed MRC Non-Fiction, a division of MRC, which is currently engaged with IndieWire parent company PMC in a joint venture partnership.
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Per the official synopsis: “The film reflects on what Rudy Giuliani once represented to most Americans: a man whose steady response to the attacks of September 11th, 2001 transcended partisan politics and transformed him into a national hero, and explores how the man christened ‘America’s Mayor’ fell from grace and into a downward spiral that’s marred his once venerable reputation.”
“Zach and Gabrielle are both thoughtful storytellers who have had incredible success telling rich stories about complicated characters,” said Amit Dey, head of MRC Non-Fiction. “Of all the things one can say about Rudy Giuliani, ‘complicated’ may be an understatement but Seth’s article captured the essence of what we believe is a true American epic, from Flatbush to Four Seasons Landscaping, regardless of where it ends.”
“Rarely has a public figure in America fallen so far so fast in the public eye,” says Jason Fine, Rolling Stone’s director of content development. “As we’ve reported on Rudy’s downfall — his bizarre political maneuvering, shady business dealings, and now, being under criminal investigation by the same U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan that he once ran — we see his story as a parable for the dark forces that have shaped American politics.”
Separately, another Giuliani documentary was recently announced from Campfire Studios and the team behind Hulu’s “WeWork,” to be directed by Jed Rothstein.
Giuliani fell back into the spotlight last year due to his appearance in “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” in which he’s seen engaging in questionable behavior while in a hotel room with Oscar-nominated actress Maria Bakalova, who is posing in the film as an underage journalist. Giuliani served as the mayor of New York City between 1994 and 2001. He also served as the lawyer to former President Trump.
Read IndieWire’s oral history of the Rudy Giuliani scene from “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” here.
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