Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley’s Number 9 Films, and Lloyd Levin and Beatriz Levin’s Shadowplay Features, producers of hit UK indie film The Salt Path, have issued a statement in response to allegations published in UK newspaper The Observer on July 6 that key parts of the memoir on which the film is based had been fabricated.
“When we were recently made aware that The Observer was planning to publish, we advised our key collaborators, filmmakers and stakeholders,” said the producers. “There were no known claims against the book at the time of optioning it or producing and distributing the film and we undertook all necessary due diligence before acquiring the book. The journalist contacting us about the story at the end of last week was the first time we were made aware of the allegations.”
They added: “The allegations made in The Observer relate to the book and are a matter for the author Raynor Winn.”
Marianne Elliott’s film of The Salt Path starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs has been an early summer phenomenon at UK and Ireland cinemas. Since its release at the end of May. It has grossed £7.7m ($10.5m) to date for Black Bear International in its home market.
The film about a husband and wife’s epic 630-mile trek along the Cornish, Devon and Dorset coastline as they deal with homelessness and illness, has struck a chord with older audiences right across the country. The film has also had very successful releases in the Netherlands through The Searchers and in Australia and New Zealand for Transmission.
However an investigative report in The Observer on Sunday alleged the “book and film were spun from lies, deceit and desperation”. The newspaper quoted a source accusing the author Raynor Winn, whose real name it said was Sally Walker, of embezzling money from her employer and misrepresenting the circumstances in which she and her husband lost their home. The Observer also claimed at the time they were forced to leave their home the couple owned land in France and cast doubt on the severity of the illness from which Winn wrote that her husband is suffering.
Winn said the report was “highly misleading” and that she and husband were taking legal advice. “The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives. This is the true story of our journey.”
Box office
The impact of the report on the UK-Ireland box office appears minimal so far.
“Early days in terms of [newspaper] story and late in run of the film,” is how one regional independent exhibitor still showing the film for the rest of this week commented of current ticket sales. They confirmed there had not been any complaints from audience members.
Rocket Science is selling the film and was fielding offers from US distributors last month. There has also been talk of an awards campaign for the film. The German release through DCM Film Distribution is set for later this month.
What will happen with the rest of the film’s global roll-out remains to be seen.
“It feels like it will be a real test of [the maxim] ‘all publicity is good publicity’,” commented another UK exhibitor.