Q&A Square One documentary | Memories of Michael Jackson

Q&A with Square One documentary maker DANNY WU and cast members TAJ JACKSON, JOSEPHINE ZOHNY and JENNY WININGS at De Balie in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on 18 January 2020.

The European premiere of Square One was covered by multiple outlets including Algemeen Dagblad, RTL Boulevard, SBS6 Shownieuws, De Telegraaf, Trouw and Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau.

Square One is an independent investigative documentary that examines the original child sexual abuse allegations by Evan Chandler and his son, 13-year-old Jordan Chandler, against pop star Michael Jackson. Evan Chandler initially asked for $20 million in exchange for not accusing Jackson publicly, but later was willing to accept $1 million.  After Jackson refused to pay this sum, on August 17, 1993, Chandler took his son to psychiatrist Mathis Abrams, and Jordan told Abrams that Jackson had molested him. Abrams reported the allegations to the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, and the Los Angeles Police Department initiated an investigation shortly afterward. In September, Jordan Chandler filed a lawsuit through his parents.

The film explains how, after a failed attempt to postpone the civil trial until the criminal case was resolved, which would have been necessary for Jackson to protect his rights for a fair criminal trial, on January 25, 1994, Jackson agreed to pay $15,331,250 to settle the Chandlers' civil lawsuit. That agreement ended the civil case but not the criminal investigation. It went on until September 21, 1994, when the district attorneys announced that they declined to file charges against Jackson because Jordan was unwilling to testify. They also revealed the boy only informed them of that decision on July 6, 1994, many months after the civil settlement. The district attorneys did not explain why they did not charge Jackson while Jordan was still willing to testify.

The film features interviews with Jackson's nephew Taj Jackson, three women who were on the 2003 witness list in People v. Jackson, and short-lived legal secretary to Barry Rothman, Geraldine Hughes, and journalist Charles Thomson. The film makes a case for Jackson's innocence, portraying him as a victim of tabloid journalism.

EVENT SPONSORS: Rob Swinson, Jin Lai restaurant, The Bakery Cafe.

EVENT ORGANIZERS: Mark Wittenberg, Marije Veerman.

EVENT PARTNERS: Janneke van der Linden/Jackson Source, Albert de Lugt, Eveline Grondel, Marina Tool.

THANKS to everyone who made this event possible.