Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie’s production company announces completion of debut documentary ‘The Meaning of Hitler’
This announcement comes just days after Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson was soundly criticized for his social media posts, including an anti-Semitic message that he attributed to Hitler.
Days after Eagles star DeSean Jackson’s anti-Semitic posts prompted a national controversy, team owner Jeffrey Lurie’s film company on Thursday announced the completion of its first documentary: The Meaning of Hitler.
The film, produced by Cinetic Media and Play/Action Pictures, “is a provocative interrogation of our culture’s fascination with Hitler and Nazism set against the backdrop of the current rise of white supremacy, the normalization of antisemitism, and the weaponization of history itself,” according to the company’s news release.
The film took three years to complete and was shot in nine countries.
“It literally was completed today and hasn’t been seen by a soul, and the next step is looking for a distributor,” publicist Susan Norget of Susan Norget Film Promotion said.
Lurie declined to comment about the film but said in the release:
“We couldn’t be prouder that The Meaning of Hitler is the first completed film made by our new documentary production company... . I envisioned Play/Action to be a leading creative force for films that engage with the most crucial and challenging issues of our time. The rise of white supremacy and neo-fascism in the United States and the world over are among the most important and serious threats we face today.”
Finding a distributor could be a lengthy process, and Norget said the release of the film is not imminent.
News of the documentary follows Jackson’s inflammatory Instagram posts that praised Louis Farrakhan and shared a text that included a fake Adolf Hitler quote.
The Eagles said the posts “have no place in our society and are not condoned or supported in any way by the organization.” And Lurie and Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who are both Jewish, spoke to Jackson about his comments.
Jackson has twice apologized. On Friday evening the Eagles released on their twitter account that they have penalized Jackson for “conduct detrimental to the team” but they didn’t mention what the penalty was.
On Thursday, New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who adopted Judiasm later in life, expressed hope that the controversy could become a learning experience for Jackson.
“I know he said some ugly things, but I do see an opportunity to have a conversation,” Edelman said in an Instagram video.
Edelman made an offer to Jackson: “How about we go to DC and I take you to the Holocaust Museum and you take me to the museum of African American History and Culture and afterwards we grab some burgers and we have those uncomfortable conversations. This world needs a little more love, compassion and empathy.”