Cinema owners in race row over gang film’s ban
Chains under fire for pulling Blue Story after 25 incidents at 16 cinemas in the UK at the weekend
Two cinema chains are embroiled in a racism row after banning a film about black gangs, following outbreaks of violence at screenings. Vue Cinemas decided yesterday to stop showing Blue Story at its 91 UK venues. Showcase Cinemas followed suit but later backtracked.
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TWO cinema chains are embroiled in a racism row after banning a film about black gangs, following outbreaks of violence at screenings.
Vue Cinemas, Britain’s third biggest operator, decided yesterday to stop showing Blue Story at its 91 UK venues after 25 incidents at 16 cinemas over the weekend. Showcase Cinemas followed suit but backtracked and reinstated screenings, with added security.
In the worst outbreak, at Vue’s Star City cinema in Birmingham on Saturday, 100 youths, some armed with machetes, engaged in a mass brawl, leaving seven police officers injured.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) posted an alert yesterday for all chief constables to ensure cinemas in their force areas had adequate security cover in anticipation of any trouble. However, the move by the chains led to complaints that they were being “institutionally racist” and “discriminatory” by treating Blue Story more harshly than “white” films about violence.
Sheldon Thomas, a former gang member who founded Gangsline to combat violence and gang culture, said the chains should not have pulled the film. “White people are always telling our story and for once it was good that Rapman [Andrew Onwubolu, the film’s director] told it from a black perspective,” he said. Sheila Knowles, of
BBE, an events management company, said: “People are calling the ban discriminatory and institutionally racist. A lot of people are very agitated because it seems like a systematic and targeted attack.”
Umar Kankiya, a solicitor and member of Dope Black Dads, a group campaigning for positive depictions of black fathers, wrote to Vue seeking an explanation for the ban. “A number of families both within and alongside the black community are perturbed by what appears to be a reactionary response to an incident of which the details are inconclusive,” he wrote.
In a statement, Vue defended its decision as solely based on safety. It said the 25 incidents reported within 24 hours of the film’s release on Friday was the biggest number it had seen for any film in such a short time frame.
“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 our customers,” it said.
Errol Lawson, a reformed gangster from Birmingham, criticised the way the film was marketed for its violence, which was bound to attract gangs.
He said: “If there are positive messages in the film, we should have heard about these in the trailers, but most of the scenes shown were of violence.”
The 15-rated film was developed by
BBC Films, which declined to comment, and distributed by Paramount Pictures, which said it was “saddened” by events at Star City but noted it had received an “incredibly positive reaction and fantastic reviews”.
Odeon and Cineworld were among chains still showing the film, although Odeon said it was reviewing security.
The NPCC alert suggested forces talk to cinemas to ensure they had proper staffing and contingencies.
“All businesses that welcome the public are encouraged to have appropriate security provisions in place, should they be required,” said a spokesman.