Prop. 8: Sundance under fire
The furor over California's Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage, marches on.
And just when you thought the Sundance Film Festival was out of the line of fire (by gay and lesbian activists going after all things Utah, because of the Mormon church's strong support of Prop. 8), now Sundance is the one being asked to boycott one of its own venues.
Activist John Aravosis posted this notice on his AmericaBlog that the CEO of Cinemark Theatres, Alan W. Stock, gave $9,999 to the Yes on 8 campaign. Cinemark Theatres operates 4,700 theaters worldwide, and operates more screens in Utah than any other company - including the 24-plex at Jordan Landing and the two Century 16s.
Aravosis is urging a blanket boycott of all Cinemark theaters. (This leaves militant gays and lesbians in Utah in a bind - some were already boycotting Larry H. Miller's Megaplex Theaters over the "Brokeback Mountain" cancellation in 2006.)
Stock - as I wrote Monday on my Movie Cricket blog - was raised in Roy, Utah, served on an LDS mission, and managed theaters in Ogden and Layton before being hired by Cinemark in 1986. On Election Day, he was back in Utah, overseeing the opening of a new 14-plex in Orem's University Mall.
Here's where Sundance factors in the mix: Cinemark also runs the 4-screen Holiday Village Cinemas in Park City, the only full-time movie theaters used during the film festival. (The other venues are either concert halls or converted spaces.) The Holiday Village theaters are the go-to theaters for the U.S. documentary competition, and the main venue for press screenings.
Movie City News' David Poland, writing on his Hot Blog, puts it directly: "Sundance will actually have to answer what is now a real question... will they financially support a theater in their group of theaters that is led by a Prop 8 financer?"
Poland vows to avoid press screenings at the Holiday Village ("nothing plays the HV exclusively," he writes), but for some members of the press - those with more-restrictive press credentials - that may not be a workable option.
Poland is urging Sundance to try to find an alternative venue, but there's no viable option with the festival only two months away. The Redstone Cinemas might have the screens, but running the shuttle buses out to Kimball Junction would cripple an already precarious transportation situation.
And just when you thought the Sundance Film Festival was out of the line of fire (by gay and lesbian activists going after all things Utah, because of the Mormon church's strong support of Prop. 8), now Sundance is the one being asked to boycott one of its own venues.
Activist John Aravosis posted this notice on his AmericaBlog that the CEO of Cinemark Theatres, Alan W. Stock, gave $9,999 to the Yes on 8 campaign. Cinemark Theatres operates 4,700 theaters worldwide, and operates more screens in Utah than any other company - including the 24-plex at Jordan Landing and the two Century 16s.
Aravosis is urging a blanket boycott of all Cinemark theaters. (This leaves militant gays and lesbians in Utah in a bind - some were already boycotting Larry H. Miller's Megaplex Theaters over the "Brokeback Mountain" cancellation in 2006.)
Stock - as I wrote Monday on my Movie Cricket blog - was raised in Roy, Utah, served on an LDS mission, and managed theaters in Ogden and Layton before being hired by Cinemark in 1986. On Election Day, he was back in Utah, overseeing the opening of a new 14-plex in Orem's University Mall.
Here's where Sundance factors in the mix: Cinemark also runs the 4-screen Holiday Village Cinemas in Park City, the only full-time movie theaters used during the film festival. (The other venues are either concert halls or converted spaces.) The Holiday Village theaters are the go-to theaters for the U.S. documentary competition, and the main venue for press screenings.Movie City News' David Poland, writing on his Hot Blog, puts it directly: "Sundance will actually have to answer what is now a real question... will they financially support a theater in their group of theaters that is led by a Prop 8 financer?"
Poland vows to avoid press screenings at the Holiday Village ("nothing plays the HV exclusively," he writes), but for some members of the press - those with more-restrictive press credentials - that may not be a workable option.
Poland is urging Sundance to try to find an alternative venue, but there's no viable option with the festival only two months away. The Redstone Cinemas might have the screens, but running the shuttle buses out to Kimball Junction would cripple an already precarious transportation situation.
posted by Sean P. Means @ 8:45 AM |
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home