“I dedicate these films to George Floyd and all the other black people that have been murdered, seen or unseen, because of who they are, in the US, UK and elsewhere,” McQueen said in June, shortly after “Mangrove” and fellow anthology entry “Lovers Rock” were confirmed as selections of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival. “If you are the big tree, we are the small axe. Black Lives Matter.” In addition to offering “Mangrove” for free, the NYFF programming team also announced this week it has removed Oliver Shahery’s documentary short “Wild Bill Horsecock” from its virtual screening platform. The movie centers on Nashville country singer Hayes Johnson, and his “unambiguous history of sexual misconduct is referenced extensively.” NYFF said it recognized “the real harm that our presentation of the film would cause” after “individual survivors and their advocates came forward.” “In light of this harm, we feel the need to respond by removing it from the program,” a NYFF statement reads. “We came to this decision after much consideration and deliberation, in an effort to reconcile our commitment to freedom of expression with our commitment to supporting and amplifying the voices of survivors of sexual assault.” Visit NYFF’s website to read more on the removal of “Wild Bill Horsecock.” See the posts below for more information on the free “Mangrove” screening.
— 58th New York Film Festival (@TheNYFF) September 25, 2020
— 58th New York Film Festival (@TheNYFF) September 25, 2020 Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
