Entertainment One has picked up international rights to Hulu’s documentary on the disastrous Fyre Festival.
“Fyre Fraud” looks at the unscrupulous dealings of Billy McFarland, the self-aggrandizing huckster who sold thousands of tickets to a music festival in the Bahamas that turned out to be a sham. Duped by a promotional campaign on social media featuring rapper Ja Rule and bikini-clad models, the festival-goers found themselves scrambling for food and shelter on a remote island, with musical acts nowhere in evidence.
McFarland is now serving a six-year jail sentence. “Fyre Fraud” looks into how the scam was built and the personalities, especially McFarland, behind it.
“As soon as it was launched, this brilliantly made film garnered huge critical acclaim for its quality execution and access to the key players and has instantly become widely talked about,” said Noel Hedges, eOne’s executive vice president of acquisitions for international distribution. “We are thrilled to bring this dynamic film to audiences far and wide and see that discussion spread around the world.”
Hulu’s “Fyre Fraud,” which screened in the U.S., is one of two competing documentaries on the subject. In its review, Variety said: “Its vision of an expansive web of corruption defining the lives of those who live online is compelling and crystalline.” The other documentary, “Fyre,” is already available globally on Netflix.
“Fyre Fraud” was executive produced by Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason, alongside Michael Gasparro, The Cinemart, MIC and Billboard.