Now, as the fifth anniversary of the plane’s disappearance arrives, veteran Hollywood executive Darlene Lieblich Tipton is producing a movie about the tragic mystery. She hopes to give US$100,000 (RM407,400) to each family of the passengers and crew when the profits come in.
The former Fox executive, armed with MH370 pictures and video taken after the plane disappeared, has launched plans for “Malaysia 370”, a feature film project “dedicated to the heroic actions of the 239 passengers and crew on board Malaysia Airlines #370”.
She plans to do it through crowd-funding.
According to a press release from Tipton, she started crowd-funding activities on Oct 1, 2018, and has invested “most of her personal funds into the production”.
“So far I have raised over US$1.4 million – US$500,000 from my retirement savings and the rest from friends, family, and supporters of my last movie,” Tipton said.
She said the movie would cost between US$7.5 million and US$30 million.
Her crowd-funding efforts include a multi-pronged approach of donations, sale of memorial coins and theme song downloads. Tipton said funds received from the sale, rental, and distribution of Malaysia 370” would be allocated to the 239 families affected.
“The goal is to be able to give each family US$100,000 for a total output of US$ 23,900,000”, according to the press release.
Acknowledging the presence of naysayers and trolls, she said: “I was not given the opportunity to correct the inaccuracies, and once something is on the Internet it becomes a lasting piece of incorrect data.”
Tipton said: “Pre-production will begin as soon as possible, depending on when the crowd-fund goals are met. Updates will be posted and LIVE streaming will come from each set. Interviews with talent and crew (will) be uploaded as they happen.”
According to the press release, Tipton’s experience in the film industry spans over four decades, including 25 years as vice-president of standards and practices for the Fox Cable Networks Group.
Tipton had earlier attracted negative news reports. According to a report in news.com.au, Tipton lost her job 46 days after MH370 vanished. She contacted Sarah Bajc, the girlfriend of American MH370 passenger Philip Wood, claiming she and her husband Ken Tipton had proof that those on board were “alive”, the report said.
The report added that she also sent Bajc a “series of increasingly bizarre emails” regarding MH370.
UK’s The Daily Star carried a report saying Tipton claimed the disappearance was linked to organ harvesting in China.
However, according to the press release “the negative media reports used details that sometimes have put a 180 degree spin on what she actually said”.