Here's Murtada on the opening night of the BFI London Film Festival.
The BFI London Film Festival opened Wednesday night with a gala premiere of Suffragette. Alongside stars Carey Mulligan, Meryl Streep and Helena Bonham Carter, protesters made their voices heard. The group Sisters Uncut chose this movie about suffragettes to protest the UK government’s recent cut of funds supporting victims of domestic abuse.
It was an apt choice and led to some interesting pictures. On the same red carpet the latest couture gowns mixing with color bombs and protest signs. Glamour and activism after the jump...
Romola Garai, Bonham Carter, Anne Marie Duff and Mulligan
The protesters got so loud that the movie’s star, Mulligan, acknowledged them while giving an interview on the red carpet saying “It’s so awesome”.
Of course that moment of empathy doesn’t erase the bitter taste that the very dumb marketing campaign for the film has left in the mouths of many. The cast - including liberal beacon Streep - posed in white T-shirts bearing the slogan, “I’d rather be a rebel than a slave,” for Time Out London.
The words are a quotation from a speech given British suffragist leader Emmeline Pankhurst, who is portrayed by Streep in the film. Unfortunately these words have different connotations to a modern audience, especially when you display them across a field of white women. How could everybody behind the movie and at the magazine miss that? Especially when their movie does not portray any women of color despite historical evidence they were part of the movement. It's again a case of those in power not even thinking of people of color. Rebecca Carroll in The Guardian had one of the smart responses.
Time Out London released an official statement that said in part :
The original quote was intended to rouse women to stand up against oppression - it is a rallying cry, and absolutely not intended to criticise those who have no choice but to submit to oppression, or to reference the Confederacy, as some people who saw the quote and photo out of context have surmised.
Hey we know the context and understand the intention. It's still dumb and tone-deaf. People of color are still invisible to many in the movie industry. I, for one, am glad these women made themselves visible and audible.
Do you think Suffragette's bumpy rollout will affect its Oscar chances? We're still eager to see it. You?