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Vaxxed Chapter 2: The Film Festival Battle Field — Censorship Exposed as People Fight Back

4/7/2016

 
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With the mainstream media attacks taking a backseat recently, it appears that the fight to show Vaxxed has moved to individual film festivals. Appearing on New York’s FOX 5 news were Tribeca Film Festival founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. The news segment started out with the reporter peppering Dr. Wakefield’s credibility. The body language of both De Niro and Rosenthal throughout the interview told the entire story. De Niro stated:
“I was a little surprised when I heard that some people were, sort of, against it [the film]. But at the same time, I didn’t want to make it a whole controversy with the festival. So I said, let me just pull it and we’ll deal with it later.”

Given all the information, known and unknown, it appears De Niro did the best he could. It is commendable that he is still going to bat for the film as he further stated in the FOX 5 interview:

“They keep thinking it was an anti-vaccine movie…it wasn’t anti vaccine — my position is not anti-vaccine. It’s what was put into the vaccine and how it was dealt with.”

The film Vaxxed has journeyed far since De Niro pulled it from Tribeca. The battle has shifted to other film festivals now, each having to reach deep and ask the hard question’s around courage, freedom and censorship. Paul Joseph Watson recently reported for InfoWars.com that the film was pulled by the WorldFest-Houston International Film & Video Festival after Hunter Todd — the festival Chairman & Founding Director — received threatening calls from “high government officials”. Todd immedialty released a public statement going into detail what he experienced behind the scenes:

“I wanted you to know that just like De Niro and Tribeca, we must withdraw our invitation to screen VAXXED! It has been cancelled, and there was no press release about the film…that was scheduled for today, but after very threatening calls late yesterday (Monday) from high Houston Government officials (the first and only time they have ever called in 49 years) – we had no choice but to drop the film,” states Todd’s email to Diaz.

“Heavy handed censorship, to say the least…they both threatened severe action against  the festival if we showed it, so it is out,” he added.

“I do hope that they did not call or threaten you. It is done, it is out and we have been censored… There are some very powerful forces against this project. It does seem a bit of overkill, as I am confident that it will be released Online soon and millions of people can see it.”

If “the De Niro moment” is any indication of the future, any film festival that pulls Vaxxed brings immeasurable and priceless attention to not only the film but vaccine-injury, autism, government corruption, censorship in the US, the control of the media by pharmaceutical interests, free speech and freedom of expression in the arts and film. From this vantage point, it appears that as government officials, and other sources, go through the effort to block the channels of release for Vaxxed, every other category listed above get supercharged with attention and interest.

In a rare piece of journalism exhibited by the mainstream media — kind of, Houston reporter Greg Groogan tweeted that it was Slyvester Turner, Mayor of Houston that requested the film be pulled. It is interesting to note that local news reporters, on mainstream affiliates, need to use Twitter to break national news instead of using the proper channels of their profession. Groogan’s tweet is open source information at its finest.
History has shown that mainstream anchors and reporters that break from the narrative to give vital information to the people are often reprimanded with a heavy hand. Ginger Taylor of HealthChoice.org reported that the City of Houston released this public statement commenting on the matter:

"The mayor asked that it be removed from the lineup. I believe Judge Emmett did the same. The film festival is being funded in part through a grant from the City of Houston. The mayor felt it inappropriate for the city to endorse an event that would be screening a film that is counter to the city’s efforts to ensure children receive vaccinations.”

Taylor has currently submitted focused questions about WorldFest Houston’s director Hunter Todd’s claims in his public release describing the threats he received. In addition, she asked for an elaboration of the role of Judge Emmett to block first amendment rights of the city’s people.  There has been no response at this time from the City of Houston.

The latest, and certainly not the last, to received pressure to pull Vaxxed is Silver Springs International Film Festival Director Greg Thompson. Thompson’s response appears to be in line with popular thinking and his transparency is serving to inspire other film festival’s by releasing information to the public. Thompson’s response to someone asking him to pull the film was posted online for all to read:

“I trust you have seen the film. And I appreciate your concern for our festival. And I trust in the relationships that we have built over the last 4 years - with our community, its businesses and leaders, students and teachers and friends from around the world. But the most important relationship we have in our city and our festival is our relationship with the 1st Amendment which protects our freedom of speech and expression.
Based on your statement, I have to wonder if you and some of the folks writing about this film have indeed seen it - and not through the filter of personal agendas. Our only agenda is, "Good films deserve to be seen. And people have a right and need for access to every side of the story and the freedom to make their own decision, with their own physicians, regarding their children. If the film turns out to be misinformation then I trust that we will have supported the bigger conversation that will bring that to light. If it is proven to be fact, we will have been part of a conversation that could positively impact many lives.
You may choose to paint our festival in any light you wish, but now you have the truth from the horse's mouth - we do not censor and we do not represent any one's agenda. We present good films and trust our audiences to use that information in a powerful way that will serve their best interests and inform their conversations!
If you, or anyone you know, has not seen the film yet, I invite you to join us and bring your knowledge and expertise to the table and enrich our community. Thank you for caring!”


This is a pivotal time in the US where each film festival director, movie theater and distributor will be forced to face a reality of censorship coming rapidly from many levels. As Thompson stated in his letter, “our relationship is with the 1st Amendment which protects our freedom of speech and expression.” The fight to release Vaxxed has exposed an uncomfortably biased and controlled mainstream media, more government corruption and the reach pharmaceutical companies have to censor information. The National Association of Theater Owners lists that there are currently 40,174 movie screens in the US — good luck censoring them all. The people will always have the numbers.

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