Weinstein in trial: New allegations and the youngest victim revealed!

Weinstein in trial: New allegations and the youngest victim revealed!

The reopened trial against US film producer Harvey Weinstein began on Wednesday. Loud OE24 Weinstein is accused of coercing women into sex. A new witness, Kaja Sokola, who was born in Poland, testified against him in court. She reports that she was sexually assaulted by Weinstein when she was 16.

The incident is said to have taken place in Weinstein's apartment in 2002 and Sokola is believed to be the youngest victim in the trial. Another attack was reported in 2006, when Weinstein lured her to a hotel room under the pretext of inviting her to appear in a film. There he is said to have held her down and asked her to take off her clothes while he performed oral sex on her. Sokola describes that she asked for help and that Weinstein said after the incident: “You see, that wasn’t so bad after all.”

Career promises and power games

Despite the traumatic experiences, Sokola remained in contact with Weinstein because he had promised her a career. During her argument, the prosecutor explained that Weinstein specifically chose women who were powerless. She emphasized that his actions were reality and not a scene from a movie, which shows the seriousness of his actions.

There are also allegations that Weinstein forced production assistant Miriam Haley to perform oral sex in 2006. Another serious offense was attributed to him in 2013, when he was said to have raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann. These statements illustrate how deeply rooted the problem of sexual assault is in the film and theater industry.

Abuse of power in the cultural sector

In a broader context, the discussion about abuse of power in the cultural sector, especially in German-speaking theaters, sheds light on the systematic problems of this sector. Loud tfmlog Cases of verbal and physical abuse as well as a toxic work environment proved to be widespread. The publication of the documentary “Against Silence – Abuse of Power in Theater and Film” by Kira Gantner and Zita Zengerling has brought these issues significantly into focus.

A study by Thomas Schmidt from 2019 shows that the incidents cannot be viewed as isolated cases, but that the hierarchical structures of theater companies form a basis for abuse of power. The structure of the city and state theaters also remains constant despite changes in content and aesthetics, which further perpetuates the problem.

Participants in the course “Power and Abuse in Institutionalized Theater” are currently dealing with these power relations. Her projects address, among other things, the real effects on those affected and reflect on how power is abused in the theater. These discussions are necessary to create awareness and bring about change in the industry.