The Apprentice film did not receive any awards at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, missing out on its one nomination.
This biopic about Donald Trump has faced opposition from his campaign, which issued a cease and desist letter to the filmmakers to stop its distribution. Trump is currently engaged in a presidential campaign for the upcoming November election.
Director Ali Abbasi debuted the film at the French festival earlier this week. This was Abbasi’s second career nomination for the Palme d’Or, but the award went to Anora, a comedy about an exotic dancer.
Actor Sebastian Stan portrayed Trump, while Maria Bakalova played his late wife Ivana. Her 1990 divorce deposition inspired a sexual assault scene in the film. Trump’s first wife later denied that she was ever raped by Trump “in a literal or criminal sense.” The two were married for 15 years and had three children and ten grandchildren before her death in 2022.
It’s uncertain if the film will earn any other nominations or even be shown in the U.S., as Trump’s team members have threatened to sue the filmmakers for defamation.
This year marked the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival. Awards are determined by a new jury every year, which this time included director Greta Gerwig and actress Lily Gladstone among other international filmmakers.
