Criticism of Vue's decision in The Guardian:
The Blue Story panic shows that black culture is still marginalised
Our creativity has long been scapegoated. We should be discussing poverty and racial profiling, not banning a film
After an outbreak of violence at a movie screening this weekend, the Vue cinema chain has decided to withdraw the movie Blue Story from all its UK screens. We actually know very little about what caused the incident at the Star City multiplex in Birmingham, but we can say it probably wasn’t the movie’s content because the film hadn’t actually started at that point.
The decision has been derided as having racial overtones – given that the movie, which featured gang-related violence, had a predominantly black cast (though Vue has denied that its action was based on “biased assumptions”).
It has been pointed out that, when a gunman killed 12 people during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Colorado in 2012, there was no decision to halt the film’s release. There has long been panic around violent movies and whether their content can lead to copycat acts. Yet this has never stopped cinemas continuing to screen them – on release now is The Irishman, whose director, Martin Scorsese, has made his reputation on hard-hitting (white) gangster movies.
And film-making has long had a problem with race. The American sociologist Elijah Anderson calls it the “iconic ghetto”: black people are presumed to be moulded by the “hood, the streets, or the ends which symbolises an impoverished, crime-prone, drug-infested, and violent area of the city”. TV shows such as Top Boy and films like Kidulthood – which highlight the fact that far too many young people live in deprived inner-city communities – can inadvertently strengthen this stereotype. And for many film executives, imagining black people outside the hood is impossible. Vue seems to have taken the “urban” definition to heart.
Yet the purpose of Blue Story is not to glorify gangs – just the opposite. Vic Santoro, one of its stars, hoped it would “serve as a deterrent to young people rather than encourage them”.
The decision to ban the entire movie run comes in the context of a wider clampdown on black culture. Drill music has come under fire for allegedly inciting violence: YouTube has removed videos, police have tried to stop “gang members” making tracks, and some artists have been convicted for the crime of making music.
For years before this, the Metropolitan police had been targeting black and Asian music events, including bashment performances, using the notorious 696 form. Almost all forms of black music – grime, garage, jungle, hip hop and reggae – have at some point faced accusations of inciting antisocial behaviour. Black culture has to be heavily policed, we’re told.
Vue’s decision also represents a wider lack of understanding of serious social problems. That so many young people were allegedly involved in this incident, one of them photographed holding a machete, is seen as a symptom of severe social breakdown. Star City is located in one of the country’s poorest areas. We should be discussing poverty, unemployment, racial profiling, and school exclusions, which have all been made worse by a decade of austerity cutting back on social support. By scapegoating a movie that apparently had nothing to do with the violence, we further marginalise those we are supposed to be trying to protect.
• Kehinde Andrews is professor of black studies at Birmingham City University
BBC-backed gang film Blue Story banned from Vue cinemas after record number of 'serious incidents' in 24 hours including mass brawl outside screening
Blue Story, a BBC-backed gang film, has been banned from Vue cinemas following 25 'significant incidents' at 16 cinemas on the day it was released, including a mass brawl involving youths armed with knives and machetes outside a screening in Birmingham.
The film, about a postcode war in south London, will not be shown in any of the chain’s UK venues after a riot at the Star City multiplex in Nechells, Birmingham, on Saturday.
Families queuing to watch the opening night of Frozen 2 at the cinema were horrified when a fight between three girls escalated into major disorder at 5.30pm.
Seven police officers were injured as they arrested five teenagers and used Tasers to clear a crowd of up to 100 people from the cinema, which was then closed for the night.
Today, the cinema group said the decision to withdraw the film from its schedules was made on the grounds of "safety alone".
In a statement, Vue said: "The decision to withdraw Blue Story was no one taken lightly or without careful consideration of out experience across the country.
"The film opened in 60 of our sites across the UK and Ireland on Friday November 22, but during the first 24 hours of the film over 25 significant incidents were reported and escalated to senior management in 16 separate cinemas.
"This is the biggest number we have ever seen for any film in such a short time frame.
"Despite a range of precautionary measures in place, including increased security, removal of late-night showings and reduced screenings of the film, the decision to withdraw Blue Story in its entirety was made on Saturday evening on grounds of safety alone.
"While we are disappointed that these are the actions we have had to take, we hope it is understandable that we cannot and will not take any risks with regard to the welfare and safety of our staff and customers.
"Unfortunately, the actions of a significant few have spoiled the opportunity for others, but we stand by our decision to withdraw the film from our schedule indefinitely.
"This decision is not, as some have alleged, based on biased assumptions or concern about the content of the film itself.
At Vue, we believe passionately in bringing people together and using the power of the big screen experience to entertain, educate and inspire all of our audiences.
"Blue Story is a fantastic film and one with a very powerful message. It is a film that has the opportunity to change lives. We hope that Blue Story achieves the success it deserves and importantly its message does not get lost."
No comments:
Post a Comment