By James Wray Dec 24, 2004, 15:57 GMT
***image:1left***US drug companies have been warning staff to keep an eye out for filmmaker Michael Moore, who's next film is about the American healthcare system.
His new movie is called Sicko and the companies expect Moore to try and ambush staff to garner impromptu interviews, as he has done for previous documentaries.
At least six major drug companies have issued the warning, with the likes of GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca telling employees not to answer any questions asked by Moore and instead to refer him to the company's publicity department.
"Moore's past work has been marked by negativity, so we can only assume Sicko won't be a fair and balanced portrayal," said Rachel Bloom, executive director of corporate communications for AstraZeneca.
"His movies resemble docudramas more than documentaries."
Stephen Lederer of Pfizer Global Research and Development told the LA Times, "We ran a story in our online newspaper saying Moore is embarking on a documentary – and if you see a scruffy guy in a baseball cap, you'll know who it is."
Moore has tackled the state of the US health system before on his TV shows TV Nation and The Awful Truth, but is sure to delve much deeper for his new feature.
He elaborated to the Times saying that, contrary to rumour, he has not paid any doctors to install secret cameras in their offices.
"I didn't need to. So many doctors have offered to help, for free, in an effort to expose the system," he said.
We expect Sicko to be released in 2006.
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