Blue Story to return to Vue cinemas after criticism of withdrawal
Blue Story will return to screens following a backlash about it being pulled, the chief of Vue cinemas has announced, as he insisted race was never part of the equation.
The film – a story of two childhood friends who get caught up in gangs from rival postcodes – was withdrawn by the cinema chain after seven police officers were injured in a disturbance at Star City in Birmingham on Saturday, where there were reports of youths with machetes.
However, the film’s director, Andrew Onwubolu, told BBC Breakfast there was “no connection” between the Birmingham brawl and his movie, and questioned whether there were “hidden reasons”.
It has also been suggested that the decision to cancel the screenings was racially motivated.
Tim Richards, the founder and chief executive of Vue International, said the company had “agonised” over the decision to pull the film, but had to prioritise the safety of staff and customers after 25 incidents at 16 cinemas. He said a number of the incidents took place on Friday.
“Birmingham was part of our decision, but just a part of it,” he said, adding: “I have spent 20 years of my life supporting and promoting diversity and British and independent film.
“To call me personally or corporately racist is very, very disturbing and with no merit at all. Racism does not enter into the equation at all. Never has. It’s the opposite.”
Richards said he knew Blue Story was “an important movie” and that he had never wanted to withdraw it.
He said that between Vue, the producers, Paramount and community groups, there was “a game plan” to reinstate the film before the weekend. “That’s really our belief in the film and the message that the movie has,” he said. “We’ve listened to the community and we know that this is an important movie for people to see.”