Mongrel Media Presents

THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES

A Film by Lauren Greenfield (100 min., US, 2012) Language: English WINNER U.S. Directing Award: Documentary 2012 Sundance Film Festival Distribution

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SYNOPSIS THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES is a character-driven documentary about a billionaire family and their financial challenges in the wake of the economic crisis. With epic proportions of Shakespearean tragedy, the film follows two unique characters, whose rags-to-riches success stories reveal the innate virtues and flaws of the American Dream. The film begins with the family triumphantly constructing the biggest house in America, a 90,000 sq. ft. palace. Over the next two years, their sprawling empire, fueled by the real estate bubble and cheap money, falters due to the economic crisis. Major changes in lifestyle and character ensue within the cross-cultural household of family members and domestic staff.

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DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT – LAUREN GREENFIELD The Queen of Versailles is a story about a self-made billionaire family: their larger-thanlife plan to build the biggest house in America, and subsequent struggle in the wake of the economic crisis. The film visually documents the American Dream: its values and lifestyles, its relationship to home ownership, and the ways it has encouraged all Americans to reach beyond their economic means. A familiar story writ large, the film is an epic narrative that speaks to anyone who has had to adapt to the economic crisis. The film follows two unique characters, David and Jackie Siegel, whose rags-to-riches success stories set the stage for the ultimate realization of the American Dream. When I first met Jackie in 2007, she and her husband David were triumphantly constructing their new home: a 90,000 sq. ft. palace inspired by both the chateau in Ile-de-France and the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. After the 2008 crash, the gargantuan home, aptly named Versailles, became a symbolic backdrop for Jackie and David’s personal journey, as they navigated financial setbacks that forced them to put their dream home on the market, and downsize their lifestyle and business. As they fall back down to earth, Jackie and David’s characters develop in unexpected ways as they adapt to the new circumstances with surprisingly relatable humility and candor. The way they respectively handle these challenges shed light on both their characters, their hard-knock origins, and imbue their story with an “everyman” quality that is as unpredictable as their change in fortune. Throughout their journey, their extended coterie of domestic help, family members, and friends from diverse class and ethnic backgrounds, gives their world an “upstairs, downstairs” prism through which we gain insight into other interpretations of the American dream, and the universal ramifications of the financial crisis. I first met Jackie, the title character of The Queen of Versailles, while photographing Donatella Versace for ELLE Magazine. She had been flown to Donatella’s party because she was one of her best customers at the time. I found her refreshingly friendly and candid, with a combination of chutzpah, self-effacing humor, and lack of pretense, qualities that are sometimes obscured by the protective veil of great wealth. Jackie shared with me that she was the mother of seven children who she flew around the country in a private plane on their frequent travels, and that she was building the biggest house in America. She invited me to visit Florida and photograph their family. Little did I know this would be the first shoot of a three-year relationship with the Siegels, and the beginning of a film about their lives. For the last two decades, I have been working on a long-term photographic work about wealth, consumerism, and the international influence of the values of the American Dream. Although I originally went to see Jackie to take still photographs, once I got to know her and her family, it was clear that her story that could only be told through film. In her typically welcoming style, she invited me to stay in their 26,000 square foot “starter” mansion, where I found a household full of warmth and constant activity, 3

amazing characters, a menagerie of animals, and an unusually down-home sensibility where Jackie and David managed to stay true to their humble origins and tastes, while living in an outsized fantasy world of castles, private jets, priceless antiques, and themepark quality activities for their children. In an age of cultural obsession with the rich, chronicled by reality TV (“Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”), I wanted to tell a deeper, cinema-verite story of an extraordinarily wealthy family that had the ambitious goal of building the biggest house in America. And then the financial crisis got in the way of the 30-year expansion of the timeshare business that had made David a billionaire, as well as the building of the palace that was his reward. When life started to stray from all of our expectations, I was fortunate that Jackie and David had the courage to stay committed to the project and allow me to document their journey. As two remarkable individuals who had come from rags to riches and weathered many storms, they didn’t fear this one. They understood, on some level, that their journey was a statement about the American Dream and the challenge the crisis posed for that dream. The Queen of Versailles is my second feature-length documentary (THIN was at Sundance in 2006), and my fourth film. But in some ways, it is the first project where the sociological and aesthetic voice of my photography is realized within the medium of film. With intimate access, and an empathetic perspective that was the result of long periods of time spent with the family, The Queen of Versailles combines environmental portraiture in a series of interviews, with cinema-verite “decisive moments.” Although I could never have predicted the turn of fortune that happened in the making of this film, the generosity and candor of the Siegel family in the process allowed me to document a human drama that is also a morality tale with lessons for us all. -Lauren Greenfield

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ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS LAUREN GREENFIELD (Director) Acclaimed documentary photographer/filmmaker, Lauren Greenfield is considered a preeminent chronicler of youth culture, gender and consumerism, as a result of her monographs “Girl Culture,” “Fast Forward,” “THIN” and other photographic works, which have been widely published, exhibited, and collected by leading museums around the world. In addition to The Queen of Versailles, Lauren has previously directed three awardwinning documentary films – THIN, kids + money, and Beauty CULTure. THIN was selected for the Official Competition at Sundance in 2006, was nominated for an Emmy for Best Direction, and received the prestigious John Grierson Award for Best Documentary at the London Film Festival in 2006. kids + money, also selected for the Official Shorts Program at Sundance 2008, won several Best Doc Awards (AFI, Ann Arbor, Gold Hugo), and was selected as one of the top five nonfiction shorts in the world by Cinema Eye Honors 2009. Beauty CULTure was the featured documentary of the record-setting exhibition at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles (Summer 2011), which received the Lucie Award for Exhibition of the Year (2011). American Photo named Lauren one of the 25 most influential photographers working today. Her work was recently showcased in the Getty Museum’s historical exhibition, “Engaged Observers: Documentary Photography since the Sixties” (2010). DANIELLE RENFREW BEHRENS (Producer) Danielle Renfrew Behrens has had four features premiere at Sundance, including Waitress (Fox Searchlight), American Son (Miramax), and November and Groove (Sony Classics). She also produced Daltry Calhoun (Miramax) with Quentin Tarantino, as well as the feature documentary Double Dare, which premiered at Toronto and won the audience award at AFI and San Francisco International. FRANK EVERS (Executive Producer) Frank Evers is the founder/executive producer of Evergreen Pictures, the production company behind The Queen of Versailles. Evergreen Pictures specializes in documentary films and documentary-based commercial productions. Previous films include Beauty CULTure 2011), The Gatorade "BECOME" campaign (2011), Fashion Show (2010), and kids + money (2008), to name a few. Frank is also the CEO of INSTITUTE, which represents some of the best documentary and fine art photographers in the world. In 2010, Frank co-founded the Future of StoryTelling, an ideas conference for creative leaders and practitioners (scheduled for New York, June 2012). Between 1995 and 2005, Frank spent 10 years in the video game business, running product development and production for Activision, Vivendi, and Disney Interactive. During this time, his video games generated over $1 billion in global sales. Frank started in the film business with Sony Pictures Entertainment, and later executive produced the cult classic film Swimming With Sharks, starring Kevin Spacey.

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TOM HURWITZ (Director of Photography) Hurwitz’s films have won two Emmys, a Sundance Award, and four Academy Awards. His filmography includes Harlan County USA, Valentino: The Last Emperor & Dance Maker, Wild Man Blues, My Generation, Down and Out in America, Questioning Faith (HBO), “Franklin” (PBS’ Emmy-winning Best Documentary), and “Doubt at Ground Zero” (PBS).

VICTOR LIVINGSTON (Editor) Victor Livingston has edited numerous highly acclaimed character-driven documentaries. His credits include Terry Zwigoff’s Crumb, Bukowski: Born into This, and most recently Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel. Corman’s World premiered at Sundance 2011, screened at Cannes in May, and was released theatrically in late 2011. Victor has also served as an advisor at the Sundance Edit and Story Lab.

JEFF BEAL (Composer) Jeff Beal is one of the most prolific and respected composers working in film and television today. He's won 4 Emmy awards, and been nominated 10 times. His previous works include scores for Pollock and Appaloosa for director Ed Harris, the groundbreaking series “Carnivale” and “Rome” for HBO, and his Emmy-winning scores for “Monk,” “Battleground,” and “The Company” for producer Ridley Scott. He’s appeared at Sundance previously with Jessica Yu’s feature documentaries In The Realms of the Unreal and Protagonist, William H. Macy’s The Deal, and The Passion of Ayn Rand, starring Helen Mirren. Jeff’s recent projects include the score for Al Pacino’s Wilde-Salome, starring Jessica Chastain, Last Call at the Oasis for Participant Media, and “Luck” (HBO) for director/producer Michael Mann. Beal's scores are often propelled by a strong sense of melody and frequent use of chamber size instrumentations. In a musical climate where bigger is better seems to be the pervading aesthetic, his scores are often intimate, dramatically specific, and character driven. He conducts and orchestrates his own scores, and often performs on them. He plays piano, trumpet, duduk, recorders, harmonica, percussion, rababa, oud, and french horn. He is also active in concert music, where his works have been performed by many leading soloists and orchestras worldwide.

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CREDITS Evergreen Pictures presents In association with BBC Storyville Impact Partners Candescent Films In co-production with Plus Pictures DR: Danish Broadcasting Corporation VPRO A Lauren Greenfield film THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES

Directed and Produced by Lauren Greenfield Produced by Danielle Renfrew Behrens Executive Producer Frank Evers Executive Producer Dan Cogan Co-Producer Rebecca Horn Black Co-Executive Producers Allison Amon & Lisa Mehling Julie Parker Benello Abigail Disney & Pierre Hauser Patricia Greenfield & Gerry Grossman Lilly Hartley Mette Heide Patricia Lambrecht

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Jeffrey Tarrant Director of Photography Tom Hurwitz, ASC Music by Jeff Beal Edited by Victor Livingston Sound Recordist Michael Jones Additional Editing Brian Johnson Adam Parker Additional Photography Shana Hagan Sarah Levy Lauren Greenfield Still Photography Lauren Greenfield Field Producers Rebecca Horn Black Julie Frankel Associate Producer Jasmin Chang Presentation Reel Producer Molly O’Brien Consulting Editors Kate Amend A.C.E Mary Lampson Research Associates Anna Laurent Sandra Keats Keri Oberly

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Assistant Editors Darmyn Calderon Robin August Additional Sound Recordist John Slocum Key Production/ Camera Assistants Joshua Butt Caitlin Nicole Williams Production Assistants Rachel Bujalski Meaghan Henry Keri Oberly Drew Smith Key Grip Shiloh Eck Aerial Photography Pilot Preston Ewen Post Production Supervisor Todd King Visual Effects Supervisor Andy Goldman Title Designer Andy Goldman For Lauren Greenfield Photography: Studio Manager Lisa Dragani Grace Tsai Digital Assets Manager Richard Maier Photo/Camera Assistants Terence Patrick Jena Cumbo Todd Cross

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Rachel Swetnam Brittney Lohmiller

Interns Julie Latrémouille Ariel Fried Rachel Gierlach Christie Hemm Robert Bosar Georgi Unkovski Rickchele Malone Sharon Weaver Editorial Facilities Provided by Pivotal Post Post Production Facilities Provided by Chainsaw Chainsaw Production Executive Michael Levy On-line Editor Randy Magalski On-line Assistant Editor Benjamin Lindemuth-McRobie Colorist Kris Santa Cruz Flame VFX Compositing Boyd Stepan

Sound Editing Facilities Provided by Tonemasters Studio, Copenhagen Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer Peter Albrechtsen Assistant Sound Designer Jacques Pedersen Sound Effects Editor Jakob Garfield Foley Artist

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Martin Langenbach Foley Recordist Matthias Münster Foley Editor Lars Halvorsen Sound Effects Recordists Ann Kroeber Johnny Pease Post Audio Facilities Provided by Anarchy Post Sound Re-recording Mixer Pete Horner Score Recorded at Many Rooms Music Music Produced, and Mixed by Jeff Beal Equipment Provided by Video Equipment Rentals LA and Orlando Canon USA Coffey Sound LA Hollywood Rentals Orlando Legal Counsel Provided by Donaldson & Callif, LLP Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler & Feldman, Inc. Lathrop & Gage LLP Distribution Advisor Josh Braun/Submarine Entertainment Production Accountants Mary Weatherford Jasmin Chang Siegel Family Photographs Courtesy of Jackie & David Siegel, Richard Siegel and Westgate Creative Services Siegel Home Movie Courtesy of Richard Siegel

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Additional Personal Photographs courtesy of June Downs Virginia Nebab Tina Martinez Resort Photos courtesy of Westgate Creative Services Stock Photographs courtesy of Walter Hodges/Getty Images (Row of Office Cubicles) Seth Joel/Getty Images (Call Center) Zens Photo/Getty Images (Statue of Versailles Palace) Charles Platiau/Corbis (Hall of Mirrors, Palace of Versailles) Jon Arnold/Getty Images (Palace of Versailles) Mario Tama/Getty Images (Lehman Brothers Files for Bankruptcy) Mario Tama/ Getty Images (New Yorkers Watch News about Wall Street) Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images (Stockbroker looks at his screens) Cate Gillon/Getty Images (Lehman Brothers UK) Chris Hondros/Getty Images (Lehman Brothers Files for Bankruptcy Protection) Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images (Korean Won Plungest Following Lehman Bankruptcy) Martin Oeser/Getty Images (German Stock trader Michael Pansegrauho) Justin Lane/Corbis (Floor of New York Stock Exchange) Mario Tama/Getty Images (Dow Plunges Despite Fed Buyout Plan for Debt) Spencer Platt/Getty Images (Wall Street Reels As Major Financial Companies Face Crisis) Archival Footage Courtesy of Thought Equity Motion/CBS News Thought Equity Motion/NBC News NBC Universal Archives Fox 35 News, Oregon Television, Inc., TM and ©2010 All rights reserved. “Miss America 1974” Courtesy of The Miss America Organization. All Rights Reserved. Christmas Party Music Courtesy of Getty Images Additional Footage Owned by Mrs. Florida Pageant © Copyright 1993 Maxx Media All Rights Reserved. Produced in association with SVT - Axel Arnö NRK - Tore Tomter RTS - Gaspard Lamunière

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YLE - Arto Hyvonen Commissioning editor VPRO: Barbara Truyen Commissioning editor for DR: Danish Broadcasting Corporation: Mette Hoffmann Meyer Commissioning editor BBC: Nick Fraser & Kate Townsend Produced with the support of: Danish Film Institute and Film Commissioner Klara Grunning-Harris Financed in association with Kim Christiansen and DR International Sales This film was supported by a grant from the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program Cinereach Fund.

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