Over the weekend, Tribeca Film Festival co-founder made the decision to pull the controversial anti-vaccination film, “Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe” from its schedule after massive public outcry. After initially defending the festival’s decision to program the film on Friday of last week, De Niro changed his position on Saturday evening and publicly announced the removal of the feature from the April festival’s lineup.
Now the film’s own team is firing back at De Niro and Tribeca for their about-face, and their official statement on the matter makes it clear that this fight is far from over.
READ MORE: Robert De Niro’s Anti-Vaccine Controversy: When Did Tribeca Screw Up?
“To our dismay, we learned today about the Tribeca Film Festival’s decision to reverse the official selection of ‘Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe.’ Robert De Niro’s original defense of the film happened Friday after a one-hour conversation between De Niro and Bill Posey, the congressman who has interacted directly and at length with the CDC Whistleblower (William Thompson) and whose team has scrutinized the documents that prove fraud at the CDC.
It is our understanding that persons from an organization affiliated with the festival have made unspecified allegations against the film claims that we were given no opportunity to challenge or redress. We were denied due process. We have just witnessed yet another example of the power of corporate interests censoring free speech, art, and truth. Tribeca’s action will not succeed in denying the world access to the truth behind the film ‘Vaxxed.'”
READ MORE: Tribeca Film Festival Pulls Controversial Anti-Vaccination Doc from Festival Schedule
As Deadline notes, “The statement did not explain how the filmmakers had been denied due process, when no issue of law has been raised with respect to the film. Nor did it address how ‘Vaxxed’ was being censored by losing its platform at TFF. No effort is being made to keep the film out of the marketplace.”
READ MORE: Tribeca Film Festival Under Fire for Premiering New Documentary from ‘Quack’ Anti-Vaccine Doctor
Per Jezebel, the film has already been shown to some audiences, most notably at a screening that took place on a conspiracy-themed cruise that journalists were not allowed to attend.
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