My Enemy’s Enemy Gets a Deal

The Weinstein Company announced today that they have acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to the controversial documentary My Enemy’s Enemy. Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland)directed the film which is being produced by Rita Dagher (Fahrenheit 9/11) through her production company Yalla Films. The announcement was made today by Maeva Gatineau, Executive Vice President of Acquisitions for The Weinstein Company.

My Enemy’s Enemy is an uncompromising, troubling and provocative journey into the history of Klaus Barbie, also known as “The Butcher of Lyon,” the former Gestapo commander who terrorized Lyon and the surrounding region from November 1942 to August 1944. The film follows Barbie as he turns from Nazi war criminal to American counter-intelligence officer working for the very nations that once pursued him. This dark voyage, rife with government conspiracy and bloodshed, culminates in Barbie’s infamous 1987 trial when he is finally forced to face justice for his role as a perpetrator of Hitler’s ‘Final Solution’.

Kevin MacDonald blends striking debate, wit, and visual panache in his quest to reveal the truth behind the chilling contradictions in Klaus Barbie’s tumultuous military career and underline the horrific reality of a world run by political leaders determined to expand the military success of their nations at the expense of delivering justice to their citizens.

Maeva Gatineau stated, “We are delighted to be associated with Kevin, Wild Bunch and Rita on this important and emotionally overwhelming part of history.”

Kevin Macdonald stated, “What I wanted to do in My Enemy’s Enemy was to reveal an alternate history of the post-war world. This is a version of history where, in contrast to what we were all told, fascist ideology prevailed. The story of Klaus Barbie – Nazi torturer, American spy, tool of repressive right-wing regimes – is symbolic of the real relationship that the Western governments had with fascism and makes us see the world as it is today – and the politicians who inhabit it – in a different way.”