Leaving Neverland has become one of the most talked about movies debuted at Sundance Film Festival, where its premiere was met with a handful of protestors. 

The documentary, which takes its name from Michael Jackson’s sprawling California ranch home, focuses on two men’s separate, graphic accounts of sexual abuse allegedly endured at the hands of the pop star.

Their claims have been vehemently denied by the Jackson estate.

Channel 4 are planning to show the film here in the UK, though it’s not clear when. In lieu of an air date, here’s what we can tell you so far…

It focuses on the accounts of two men

The first is James Safechuck, who met Jackson when he appeared alongside the singer in a 1986 Pepsi commercial. The Daily Beast reports that the documentary sees Safechuck explain that Jackson invited him to his trailer.

Jackson then welcomed the whole Safechuck family to his home, befriending the parents, and then inviting them all on tour with him. During this time, Safechuck’s mum, Stephanie, says she allowed her 10-year-old to sleep in a bed with Jackson.

Safechuck says it was at this point that the sexual abuse started, giving graphic accounts which include kissing and oral sex.

The second man is choreographer Wade Robson, who first met Jackson when he won a dance competition at the age of 5.

It was another two years before they would meet again, when Jackson invited the Robson family to Neverland. When the family went to California, Robson’s parents agreed for him to stay with Jackson while they continued their holiday and he alleges that the abuse began then.

Both Safechuck and Robson have previously publicly accused Jackson of sexual abuse with the latter saying he didn’t realise he had been abused until reconsidering the events during a therapy session in 2012.

When Jackson was on trial after being accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy in 2003, Robson was a main witness for the defence and stated under oath that he had never been abused by him.

The Jackson estate has blasted the documentary

Ahead of the premiere, representatives for the estate issued a statement which labelled Leaving Neverland “yet another lurid production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson”.

Following its debut, they released a second statement. It read: “Michael always turned the other cheek, and we have always turned the other cheek when people have gone after members of our family — that is the Jackson way.

“But we can’t just stand by while this public lynching goes on…. Michael is not here to defend himself, otherwise these allegations would not have been made.” 

The family also point out that Robson’s testimony at Jackson’s 2005 trial, where he said he had slept in Jackson’s room many times, but that Jackson had never molested him.

Safechuck made similar statements to investigators as a boy but both men filed lawsuits in 2013 saying stress and trauma had forced them to face the truth and admit they were sexually abused.

The suits have been thrown out on technical grounds, but are under appeal.

And his fans tried to get the film pulled

Sundance organisers were forced to issue a statement when people began writing to the event’s corporate sponsors and asking them to withdraw support, in light of the fact Leaving Neverland was on the programme.

“We don’t currently plan to comment publicly or engage in the discourse around Leaving Neverland and would recommend that you do the same,” they advised. “We plan to proceed with the screening as announced.”

This is what happened at the premiere

Fearing crowds of protestors would turn up, Sundance organisers employed extra security but on the day, just a handful showed up.

At four hours long, Leaving Neverland is a reportedly a tough watch and the screening was preceded with a trigger warning, as festival director John Cooper told attendees that mental health professionals would be available to talk to them afterwards.

It was screened in two halves and a HuffPost reporter in attendance wrote that: “Midway through the Sundance screening, which was divided into two parts, reporters and film critics remarked at the documentary’s emotional intensity.

“Audience members spent intermission walking around in shock.”

When the film ended, it was given a standing ovation. A Q&A with Robson and Safechuck then followed but some journalists tweeted to state they had decided to leave before it took place.

Jackson always denied abuse allegations while he was alive. He died in June 2009 after a lethal dose of anaesthetic propofol.