Men’s rights group vows to push ahead with documentary screening

MEN’S rights advocates are vowing to screen a controversial documentary after a feminist and “gender warrior” backlash forced them to find new cinema.

A scene in the trailer for controversial documentary The Red Pill.

MEN’S rights advocates are vowing to screen a controversial documentary after a feminist and “gender warrior” backlash forced them to find new cinema.

Men’s Rights Melbourne say a 2300-name petition against a private screening of The Red Pill hampered “free speech”.

The film by feminist filmmaker Cassie Jaye was to have had its Australian premiere at a private screening at Melbourne’s Kino Cinema on November 6.

But Palace Cinemas canned the arrangement.

The shutdown came after the change.org petition launched by “Susie Smith” called for Palace not to promote “misogynistic hate” through the film.

But organiser, Men’s Rights Melbourne’s spokesman David Williams, 29, said nobody who signed the petition would have seen the film.

MORE: PUSH TO KEEP RUSSELL ST BOMBER LOCKED UP

He had expected controversy but was not prepared for so many “uninformed extremists”.

“If you can state that a film should be banned without seeing it, without any evidence, just a large number of people, that creates a dangerous precedent. It’s a freedom of speech issue.”

Although Mr Williams did not blame the cinema for heeding so many complaints he was now seeking a new venue.

Filmmaker Cassie Jaye.

“I’m determined. I’ll find a way somehow, some way, some place to do this.”

Ms Jaye told the Herald Sun she was “shocked” that thousands of people would sign an online petition to ban her documentary from screening in Melbourne when they hadn’t even seen the film for themselves.

“This is the first time a screening of The Red Pill has ever been cancelled.”

The film had last week screened a 56 times in New York City and Los Angeles without any issues.

“We had packed houses and wonderful responses from the moviegoers,” she said.

Ms Jaye felt if Palace Cinemas had sought an advanced screening they

would not have opted for “censorship”.

“They are welcome to still screen the film if they change their minds. I would have a lot of respect for them if they chose to do that,” Ms Jaye said.

The Red Pill charts self-described “staunch feminist” Ms Jaye’s journey into the men’s rights movement.

Palace Cinemas publicity manager Caroline Whiteway said the company had responded to patrons’ feedback.

“We support freedom of speech and reserve the right to allow private venue hire of our cinemas to a broad cross-section of groups, however at the time of the booking, we were unaware that this screening had the potential to cause distress to our valued clientele,” Ms Whiteway said.

Although the film has gained 96 per cent approval on the internet movie rating site Rotten Tomatoes, the LA Times’ said it was “tilted in favour” of men’s rights activists, Ms Jaye “twists herself in knots to justify the movement’s misogynist rhetoric” and exacerbates the divide between men’s and women’s rights activists.

And The Village Voice called her a “propagandist” for the movement during the film’s “two agonising hours”.