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Documentary on Hillblom at Tribeca Film Fest
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Posted on Apr 26 2009
A documentary on the mysterious disappearance of DHL Worldwide Express co-founder Larry L. Hillblom is one of the feature films at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival held from April 22 to May 3 in New York.
Hillblom, the “H” on the business name DHL, was an aircraft enthusiast. His plane went down on May 21, 1995, on a flight from Pagan to Saipan. The bodies of the pilot and of a fellow passenger were found, but Hillblom’s body was never recovered.
The 86-minute documentary, titled “Shadow Billionaire,” is directed by Helmer Alexis Manya Spraic and produced by Sasha Alpert.
“Shadow Billionaire” is among the 85 features and 46 short films representing 36 different countries in the ongoing Tribeca Film Festival which also includes panel discussions, valuable networking opportunities for filmmakers and the industry, gala premieres of highly anticipated new studio releases and a number of free community events.
Hillblom, the largest shareholder in DHL Worldwide Express, moved to Saipan in the 1980s. On Saipan, he started several businesses and development projects in Hawaii, Vietnam, and the Philippines. He disappeared after crashing his World War II seaplane returning to Saipan. He was 52.
“Leaving behind almost a billion dollars, Hillblom sparked a battle over his estate that took on epic proportions: Led by a soft-spoken but unwavering lawyer from Saipan, the impoverished teenage prostitutes who claim to have birthed Larry’s heirs find themselves pitted against Larry’s former business associates, blinded by greed and entitlement, and several of the largest law firms in the world,” according to the Tribeca Films website.
Through DNA testing, it was determined that Hillblom fathered a Vietnamese child, two Filipino children, and a child from Palau. In the final settlement after years of legal battle, each of the four children received $90 million (about $50 million after taxes and fees), while the remaining $240 million went to the Larry L. Hillblom Foundation, which followed Hillblom’s wishes and donated funds to University of California for medical research.
To this date, the Larry L. Hillblom Foundation continues to support CNMI projects and programs.
