Abramorama has acquired U.S. theatrical rights to “Ask E. Jean,” a documentary about advice columnist and gonzo journalist E. Jean Carroll, better known for successful court battles against Donald Trump.
The film premiered at the 2025 Telluride Film Festival, where there was speculation distributors would be wary of buying it because they feared doing so would anger the Trump administration. It will at the IFC Center in New York on May 22 and in Los Angeles on May 29 with additional cities to follow across the country. Additionally, there will be special preview screenings at IFC on March 21 featuring a Q&A panel conversation with Carroll and her lawyer, Robbie Kaplan.
The film was directed and produced by Ivy Meeropol, the award-winning filmmaker behind “After the Bite” and “Heir to An Execution.” It was also produced by Laura Bickford (“Traffic”) and Annabelle Dunne (“Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold, Everything Is Copy”).
“E. Jean Carroll is one of the most remarkable and original voices in American life,” said Karol Martesko-Fenster, CEO and President of Abramorama, “and Ivy Meeropol has made a film that is as fearless and funny as its subject. ‘Ask E. Jean’ is exactly the kind of story we love to bring to audiences — bold, necessary, and completely unforgettable.”
As a journalist, Carroll became the first female editor at Esquire, Playboy, and Outside. More recently, she became known for accusing Trump of sexually assaulting her in the mid-1990s, which led to two civil lawsuits against the president and $88.3 million in damages.
“Getting to know and create a film about E. Jean Carroll has been one of the greatest experiences of my life,” said Director Ivy Meeropol. “She is surprising and hilarious, incredibly determined and an absolute inspiration. Her story, and her larger-than-life character, should play on big screens in theaters across the country, and I am beyond thrilled that Abramorama shares that conviction. I cannot wait for audiences to meet E. Jean.”
“Ask E. Jean,” which gets its title from an advice column that Carroll wrote for Elle, played at more than a dozen film festivals around the world, picking up the grand jury prize for best feature at the 2025 Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival and the audience award for best documentary feature at the 2025 Sun Valley Film Festival. Other festival selections include DOC NYC, Hamptons International Film Festival, Woodstock Film Festival, and SFFILM Doc Stories, among others.
Leave a Reply