White House holds special screening of Amazon documentary Melania

On Saturday, the White House hosted a special screening of Melania, Amazon’s authorised feature-length documentary about Melania Trump, directed by Brett Ratner and reported to have had a $40m production budget. The screening took place in a makeshift cinema erected because of ongoing construction of the White House ballroom.

The Hollywood Reporter described the audience as “70 assorted VIPs”, naming attendees including Amazon’s Andy Jassy, Apple’s Tim Cook, Queen Rania of Jordan and Mike Tyson. The screening featured branded merchandise and monochrome-themed refreshments: guests reportedly left with framed screening tickets, black and white cookies bearing the name Melania, a limited-edition version of Melania’s book, and commemorative black-and-white popcorn boxes, with snacks said to include black and white M&Ms, chocolate-covered pretzels, macarons and white cake pops.

Arriving guests were reportedly met by a military band playing “Melania’s Waltz”, the film’s central musical theme written by composer Tony Neiman; Neiman’s IMDb page is said to list credits including episodes of Top Chef and the film Cosmoball. Amazon has also been reported to have a $35m marketing budget for Melania.

The screening comes days after the killing of Alex Pretti by a US Border Patrol agent, and Ratner has been described in coverage as a man accused of sexual assault by multiple women; he was never charged and denies the allegations.

Key Topics

Culture, Melania Trump, White House, Brett Ratner, Amazon, Andy Jassy