SPUD PRODUCER COULD SUE CAMERON
The producer of the film Spud has said that he is considering suing Judge Edwin Cameron for claiming that the film is homophobic.
According to Eyewitness News, producer Ross Garland is seeking advice on “whether the publication of Cameron’s letter was defamatory”.
The openly gay Cameron, who is a South African Constitutional Court judge, wrote the letter to Garland at the end of 2010, expressing his concern at what he called the “casual denigration of gays” in the film.
Spud The Movie is based on the best-selling novel by John van de Ruit and deals with a young boy’s experiences at an elite private school in South Africa in 1990.
Garland has denied that the film is homophobic and accused Cameron of having a disregard for free expression and artistic works.
The Freedom of Expression Institute has, however, come out in support of Cameron’s right to write the letter saying that it does not call for censorship but rather brings the issue of homophobia in the film up for debate.
Dawie Nel, Director of OUT LGBT Well-being, also expressed his support for Cameron’s letter.
“Schools are especially known for promoting the norm of heterosexuality and discrimination against gay and lesbian people,” said Nel.
“Calling people derogatory names and discriminating against gay people to ‘prove’ your own masculinity is very often ‘just the way it is’ and very rarely questioned. They contribute to suicide and dropping out among gay and lesbian learners.”
Read Cameron’s letter to Garland in full here.
Calling the kettle black. Justice Cameron’s letter isn’t defamatory in the least, but an open engagement of his right to freedom of expression. And Mr Garland accusing Justice Cameron of showing disregard for freedom of expression a) not only shows an understanding of what freedom of expression means, and b) also a case of calling the kettle black since Mr Garland it seems is incapable of taking genuine and well-argued criticism.
overreaction. the movie was hardly homophobic (or any good for that matter) but the commets deamed to offensive was actually quite funny and i think they were taken completely out of context.
altough i respect Cameron i do think it was a oversensative overreaction to the movie and maybe a bit sensationalist.
we cant go screaming up in arms at everything that is deamed to be offensive or politically incorrect.
-. There is merit in what you say, as well as a lack of puntuation, spelling ability and grammar.
get a life you idiot!
scream. anything that is offensive and politically incorrect is against our constitution full stop – well done my Lord .l
if that’s the way you feel why dont you move the US where people basically sue each other for farting! This whole situation is rather stupid.
For every person that saw things as homophobic there was as many people who didnt see it as such. Its really a matter of opinion. I thought that the gay caracther was much more previlent in the book and hardly made it into the movie, if you spotted the few winks and awkward smiles. Why has nobody moaned about that? The fact that the gay was hardly featured?
This is all rather stupid really.
Spud. Now I begin to wonder whether the movie isn’t homophobic. . . !! In all school settings there will be homophobic comments ( reality!) but in a work of fiction it depends how the author/director deals with the subject material that will show whether they support or don’t care about the experiences and identities of the GLBTI.
true colours. The true colours always come out.
Rather than engaging in an open debate concerning the depiction of gay people in movies , the prducer resorts to legal threats.
As Edwin Cameron says , homophobia and racism would have been part of every day life at that time. However, it was seen fit to remove racial references but include homophobic references. There was therefore intent in that decision.
What is more scary is the audiences see fit to find gratuitous abuse amusing.
That represents a problem for gay people in ths country in that it is obviously still the norm.
Spud Buddy. Most people I have spoken too have said the movie was trash – so won’t bother going to see it anyway – not with all the fab movies at nouveau