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A filmmaker who was making a documentary about Hillary Clinton for CNN said Monday that he is backing out of the project because few people would cooperate with him and the network said the film will not be produced.
Charles Ferguson wrote in a column posted on the Huffington Post on Monday that he concluded he couldn't make much of a film. He wrote that Clinton would not agree to be interviewed and of the more than 100 people he approached, only two who had dealt with the former of secretary of state agreed to speak on camera.
CNN confirmed the account of Ferguson, who won a 2011 Academy Award for “Inside Job,” his documentary on the 2008 economic meltdown. “We understand and respect his decision,” spokeswoman Barbara Levin said. The network said it won’t seek other partners and is not proceeding with the film.
The Republican National Committee had voted to block CNN from hosting GOP presidential primary debates in 2016 because of the project. Ferguson said that Democrats also didn’t want him to make the film.
Ferguson wrote that Clinton media representatives “interrogated” him and people at CNN about it. He said one Clinton representative refused to speak to him but publicly questioned whether Ferguson would have a conflict of interest because it was a for-profit venture. A spokesman for Clinton did not immediately return a message left for comment.
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Actress-singer Julie Andrews is 78. Actress Stella Stevens is 75. Saxophonist Jerry Martini of Sly and the Family Stone is 70. Actor Stephen Collins ("Seventh Heaven") is 66. Actor Randy Quaid is 63. Singer Howard Hewett is 58. Drummer Tim O'Reagan of The Jayhawks is 55. Singer Youssou N'Dour is 54. Actor Esai Morales is 51. Actor Christopher Titus ("Titus") is 49. Model-actress Cindy Margolis is 48. Singer-guitarist Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra is 45. Actor Zach Galifianakis is 44. Actress Sarah Drew ("Grey's Anatomy" "Everwood") is 33. Actress Brie Larson ("United States of Tara") is 24. ASSOCIATED PRESS
