A-Infos (en) Australia, Melbourne, BOYCOTT Crass Films At MUFF

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Richard Wolstonecroft is a self-described "transcendental fascist"
who is using the anti-censorship strategy to allow his
slef-publicity and profiteeting.
Last year's MUFF it was an attempt to project a David Irving film
and live phone interview with the revisionist - holocaust denial -
fascist. This was prevented by a mobilisation of anti-fascists.
   On Tuesday July 19, the Melbourne Underground Film Festival
(MUFF) will be screening two films by Crass. The filmmakers
have requested that MUFF not screen the films: in solidarity, I
ask filmgoers not to attend the screening.

When I learnt that MUFF was going to be screening two films --
Semi Detached & Christ: The Movie -- by the anarchist punk
band Crass (1977-1984) I was curious: after all, according to the
festival's neo-fascist Director, Richard Wolstencroft, 'real-life
violence' is objectionable "not from any moral perspective" but
because "real life violence is the ultimate in bad manners. It is
rude." He also openly admits to admiring Hitler, Mussolini and
Mao; seemingly on the basis that these are powerful historical
figures, and Wolstencroft worships power.

Crass, on the other hand, are well-known for both their
anarchism and their pacifism, and their objections to violence --
as expressed in both film and music -- are rooted in a deep moral
commitment to egalitarian social change. Further, they are
notorious for having lampooned other 'powerful' historical
figures: Margaret Thatcher as The Mother of A Thousand Dead,
among others.

So I wrote to one of the filmmaker's -- Gee Vaucher -- to ask
how Crass felt about their films being screened at the Festival,
and to ask them if they were aware that an appeal has been made
to boycott the Festival on the basis of its alleged promotion of
fascist ideology.

(For more details, see Simon Castles, 'Storm in a despot', The
Bulletin, May 26, 2004:
http://bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/bulletin/eddesk.nsf/0/57C5A54B2AD9D127CA256E960082C728?open)

The reply I received from Gee stated that she had tried to email
the Festival organisers <info@muff.com.au> but was unable to
reach them, and requested that I try and contact them on her
behalf.

Her statement reads as follows:

"Dear people who organise the festival, it has come to our
attention that you are showing two films made by GEE
VAUCHER and MICK DUFFIELD at this year's event. Due to
your not asking or informing us of your intentions we would be
grateful if you could remove them from your schedule which I
believe is allocated for Tuesday 13th July. Apologise for the
inconvenience but maybe another time. With respect. Gee and
Mick"

I've also tried to contact MUFF but, like Gee, have been unable
to reach them. (It appears that their mailbox is permanently
overflowing.)

In any event, I think it unfair of MUFF to profit from the labour
of independent filmmakers, especially when permission to do so
has been neither sought nor granted. I therefore think it
appropriate for those who genuinely care about underground
filmmaking to not support those who would so cynically exploit
it; by not attending the film screening tomorrow and by asking
MUFF to explain their decision to screen these two films.

For more on Crass:

http://www.southern.com/southern/band/CRASS/

For more on MUFF:

http://www.muff.com.au

For details on the screening:

http://www.muff.com.au/film_info/apocalypse_crass.htm

On anarchism and the fight against fascism:

http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/anarchism/fight/fascism.html


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