US police have stepped up their presence at the Sundance Film Festival on fears that pop star Michael Jackson will protest the premiere of a new documentary about the controversial singer.
The documentary about "The Truth of the King of Pop´s Sexual Assault on Children" is based on the testimony of two men who were only 7 years old at the time of the attack.
The two men explain in detail how they were sexually assaulted by the king of pop. "Through interviews with the two adult men and their families, Leaving Neverland leaves a picture of continued exploitation and deception," says the film´s summary.
The director of the documentary "Leaving Neverland", Dan Reid, winner of the "BAFTA" award, received death threats.
"We have increased the number of police officers because of concerns about the possibility of a protest," said Phil Kirk, a police officer at Park Sieni.
"Tensions over this film are higher than anything I´ve ever seen at the Sundance Festival," said a police source. "No one will be prevented from exercising their constitutional rights, but we will not allow this to be out of control in any way."
Michael Jackson´s heirs and representatives of the Jackson Foundation condemned the documentary, saying: "This is a thriller production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and benefit from Michael Jackson."
"Leaving Neverland" was inspired by Michael Jackson´s famous name "Neverland" in Santa Barbara County, California, where he lived from 1988 to 2003.
Police raided the farm in 2003 during an investigation into allegations that the pop king was molested by a 13-year-old boy. Jackson was acquitted of all charges against him in connection with sexual harassment and abuse in 2005.
Jackson died in 2009 at the age of 50 after taking an overdose of propofol.
