An Upcoming Astroworld Documentary Is Already Stirring Controversy
Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy, a documentary on the deadly crowd surge that killed 10 people at Astroworld, will hit theaters across Texas on April 29.
Concert Crush's subject matter is divisive — and its director, Charlie Minn, is embroiled in controversy of his own.
Minn's resumé includes several documentaries about large-scale tragedies. The Kids of Santa Fe documents a mass shooting that killed 10 students at a high school in Santa Fe, while 915: Hunting Hispanics recounts a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso.
While Minn's films — Concert Crush included — largely focus on survivors of these shootings, the director has been accused of sensationalizing tragedy and exploiting trauma for profit.
Last year, El Paso-based photographer Jorge Salgado took to Twitter with screenshots of derogatory messages from Minn. The post quickly sparked discussion of Minn's ethics, as well as allegations that the filmmaker harassed potential interview subjects.
Students at the University of Texas El Paso, where Minn has guest lectured, were particularly vocal — some took to Twitter to question the school for giving him a platform.
Minn's alleged behavior calls the integrity of Concert Crush into question. The film could, potentially, give the families of Astroworld victims a much-needed platform. It could also sensationalize the tragedy.
Minn's reputation aside, Concert Crush is already sparking concern among lawyers for Astroworld organizer Live Nation, named as the defendant in several lawsuits. According to a letter obtained by Rolling Stone, Live Nation is worried the doc could "taint" potential jurors.
Given its subject matter, director, and potential legal repercussions, Concert Crush is bound to elicit response. Hopefully, Astroworld survivors can be heard over the noise.
