NEWARK DENIED AGAIN BY WEALTHY ELITESOn Thursday [Last week] we found out Newark’s only movie theater, Cityplex-12, the ownership of which includes Shaquille O’Neal and Boraie Development, a theater that symbolizes the redevelopment of Newark and which has been championed by Mayor Cory Booker, suddenly CANCELLED our film about Mumia Abu-Jamal, pulling it from their schedule. With this act they have effectively blocked Newark citizens from seeing the film and witnessing Mumia’s powerful story. After an attempt today to get a comment from Boraie Development on this decision, we were simply deferred to the theater manager, who has been unavailable and likely had no role in the matter regardless. We have yet to get an official statement on why the film was cancelled. But, as we know well, the history of attempts to silence Mumia Abu-Jamal, his voice, his writings, and now his life story, has long been motivated by a narrow political ideology. And these narrow minds, who refuse to consider Mumia beyond the scope of his case and conviction, who further refuse to acknowledge the gross injustice behind that conviction, seem incapable of allowing the screening of a film that their own customers, the people of Newark, may wish to see… a story that speaks to racial and class injustice… a story that speaks to the positions of power that seek to silence those voices who criticize power. And therein may be the answer. Because our film does not deal with the controversy of Mumia’s case. But it does deal with the efforts that have been made to silence his powerful voice, which we see repeated today in this decision made by the ownership of Newark’s Cityplex-12. But Mumia Abu-Jamal has never kept quiet. And neither will we.
As noted, the film is currently traveling the USA theatrical circuit, and has already played in cities in New York, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Ohio, Vermont, Florida and others. It’s puzzling to me that a theater in Newark would pull the film before it even debuted, after they already agreed to show it, and even had it on their schedule.
What happened? Why did they change their minds? I actually called the theater myself, but couldn’t get an answer to the question, as expected. Maybe with some pressure on the theater’s owners, like Shaq, and just getting the word out, as I’m doing here, will generate some results.
It’s odd that they gave no reason for pulling the film, other than that, as the filmmaker, Stephen Vittoria says, it was “inconsistent with their screening practices.”
What does that mean exactly?
To find out what cities the film is coming to, click HERE.
In the video below, director Stephen Vittoria talks with Mumia Abu-Jamal on the so-called “Newark Situation”:
