Moore claims US government tried to stop film

Maverick US film-maker Michael Moore has accused the White House of trying to ban his latest film.

21:46 16 May 2004

Maverick US film-maker Michael Moore has accused the White House of trying to ban his latest film.

Moore told an audience in Cannes that the Bush administration attempted to stop his latest project, Fahrenheit 911 from being shown in US cinemas as it could seriously damage President George W Bush's re-election hopes.

The documentary will be shown at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday, where it is competing for the prestigious Palme D'Or festival award.

Fahrenheit 911 charts Mr Bush's actions following the September 11th attacks on New York and
Washington and investigates commercial links between the Bush family and the family of Osama bin Laden.

Moore, an Oscar winner, alleges that an unnamed senior Republican politician, "someone connected to the White House", got the firms backing the film, including Disney, to drop their ties with it.

"The potential of this film to have an effect on the election is much larger than they [film studios] thought," Moore said.

Moore has revealed that he had three freelance undercover film crews embedded with US troops in Iraq. Production company Miramax is now seeking a deal to buy out the US rights to the film from Disney reneged on a distribution deal, he added.

Disney has accused Moore of sparking a dispute about the film's release to gain maximum publicity. The company claims it dropped its backing for the documentary as it wanted to remain impartial during the election.