The film "The Apprentice", which has provoked Donald Trump's wrath and created controversy since its premiere in Cannes in May, will finally have its cinema premiere in Sweden and the USA on October 11 - less than a month before the American presidential election.
It has been a tumultuous few months for Ali Abbasi, who came to Sweden over 20 years ago and has, among other things, directed the Guldbagge-award-winning film "Gräns".
Being in conflict with the potentially most powerful person in the world is not fun, he says with a crooked smile.
Rape Scene
"The Apprentice" describes Donald Trump's rise in the business world in New York in the 1970s and 80s. How the future president learns his ruthless methods from the notorious lawyer Roy Cohn and also rapes his first wife Ivana in a scene.
Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier in the Marvel films) plays Donald Trump, and Jeremy Strong, known from the TV series "Succession", portrays Roy Cohn.
When "The Apprentice" was shown in Cannes, Trump sent his lawyers after Abbasi and the film company, and it took a long time to clear the distribution of the film in the USA, where many are afraid of clashing with Trump.
Afraid of Facebook
Ali Abbasi is actually more afraid of Trump's supporters than the ex-president himself, he explains. When so much false information is spread through social media, it's hard to control what happens and what someone might get up to.
I don't think I'm as afraid of Trump as a person. I'm afraid of the whole process. I'm as afraid of Facebook as I am of Trump, says Abbasi.
He claims that the film doesn't really take a stance against Trump politically.
What has to do with his political career and how he has handled power has been in the media so many times. I have nothing new to say about that. On the other hand, how he became the person we know. That's where we might have something interesting to contribute.
So what happens if Trump wins, does Ali Abbasi's Hollywood career come to an end then?
It's a million-kronor question. Or, the krona is so weak, ten million..., says Abbasi and laughs.
He tells us that distributors and others in the film industry have warned about what might happen.
They say: "If he becomes president, he'll use all the regulatory frameworks, the Ministry of Justice, and all the authorities to come after us". It's like with Roy Cohn, nothing is impossible with him.
Corrected: In an earlier version, Trump's first wife's name was incorrect.
Born in 1981 in Tehran. Came to Sweden in 2002 to study architecture. Educated at the Danish Film School in Copenhagen, where he has lived for many years.
Abbasi's second feature film "Gräns" won the prestigious Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018 and was awarded six Guldbaggar, including Best Film.
His third film "Holy Spider" also won a prize in Cannes and became Denmark's Oscar submission in 2022.
