Hollywood
A view of the Hollywood sign from a street in a residential Hollywood Hills section of Hollywood, California on 21 September 2011. Getty Images

Oscar-nominated documentarian Amy Berg's new documentary 'An Open Secret' puts spotlight on powerful Hollywood players' alleged sexual abuse of minors.

The documentary targeted at underage abuse in the entertainment industry will debut at the DOC NYC film festival in New York on 14 November.

They would pull away the better-looking younger kids and keep them for their own after party [where skinny-dipping was mandatory].
- Michael Egan III

Earlier this year, lawsuits were filed against X-Men director Bryan Singer, former Disney executive David Neuman and producer Gary Goddard.

All of them have denied the allegations.

In August this year, Michael Egan III, who had filed the lawsuits dropped them after apparent inconsistent statements surfaced.

Egan will be reappearing as a protagonist in Berg's documentary.

"They would pull away the better-looking younger kids and keep them for their own after party [where skinny-dipping was mandatory]" Egan says in the film, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

The question is, if you are an adult at one of these parties where so much is going on out in the open, what is your responsibility? [Egan's account is] only one aspect of the story. It's a much greater issue. When you meet the victims and see how prevalent this problem is, it's difficult to ignore.
- Amy Berg, Documentarian

On that note, Berg says: "The question is, if you are an adult at one of these parties where so much is going on out in the open, what is your responsibility?

"[Egan's account is] only one aspect of the story. It's a much greater issue. When you meet the victims and see how prevalent this problem is, it's difficult to ignore."

Berg, 44, has previously received an Oscar nomination for her 2006 documentary Deliver Us From Evil, which examined sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

Berg explains how challenging it has been to revisit sexual abuse investigations after wrapping up her first project.

"It's definitely not something I wanted to go back into. But even many years after the DEN story, what I found really disturbing was the number of convicted paedophiles who are still being hired on set, on kids' shows. These are people who technically should be nowhere near children. That was really upsetting."

Matthew Valentinas, a Boston entertainment attorney says: "I think Hollywood is obviously nervous about the film, but I think once it is out there and everyone sees it, I'm sure we'll have a lot of suitors for the film. I'm glad it's premiering in New York. I think it's an important film about an important topic."

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