Contentious screening cancelled in Victoria

VICTORIA • Mounting protests against a filmmaker who planned to charge higher admission to white men attending the screening of his movie have led a Victoria theatre society to cancel its contract to show the film.

Blue Bridge Theatre Society president Evan Roberts says the society will cancel its facility rental agreement with Shiraz Higgins of Made You Look Media to show Building The Room.

Higgins used the false name Sid Mohammed when he announced a so-called justice-pricing model to charge white men as much as $20, while others would pay $10 based on the purchasing power of individual groups and “price discrimination.”

Roberts said the Blue Bridge Theatre Society, which owns the 225-seat Roxy Theatre where the première was scheduled for Sept. 28, does not believe in any form of prejudicial pricing.

He said the contract was cancelled because Higgins breached the deal by unveiling the pricing model without the society’s knowledge or consent.

In a news release, Roberts said the society regrets the effect the decision will have on the artists involved in making the film but it can’t support what it considers irresponsible actions.

The society said it must distance itself from the “illegitimate pricing scheme” to preserve the faith of its audience members.

“Making this announcement without the knowledge or consent of (the society) has resulted in a storm of negative response aimed at Mr. Higgins and (the theatre society),” the news release said.

Higgins, 27, admitted last week that he felt “silly” for using a false name to promote what he calls justice pricing, but said he was concerned about a backlash that could risk his safety. He said he had received death threats at an email account he created with the fake name.

“I’ve been wanting to have a layer of safety between me and angry citizens in order to keep the tension from being completely locked in on me,” he said.

“I feel bad that it’s clearly made some people upset and that it has undermined the overall message that we’re sending out here,” said Higgins, who is also the director of Building the Room.

“It’s clearly become very heated,” he said last week of the response, adding the policy was not about “retribution or putting white men in their place or something like.”

Although the two-tiered admission was lowered to $15 for white men, Higgins stood by the concept, saying it represents “an important piece of overall conversation that is happening in society right now.”

He said he had heard from women who said they pay more than men for goods and services, including hair cuts and hygienic and cosmetic products.

I FEEL BAD THAT IT’S CLEARLY MADE SOME PEOPLE UPSET AND THAT IT HAS UNDERMINED THE OVERALL MESSAGE.