British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[MifuneFan]

That situation was like a perfect shitty storm. On one hand, I obviously sympathize with the young lady, who was celebrating her birthday. She definitely should not have been handled by security so roughly, nor verbally abused by anyone. I'd say that about anyone, regardless of the presence of Autism or not.

On the other hand, many people on this site complain all the time about disruptive behavior at theaters, even using it as their main reason why they refuse to even go to the theaters. There are plenty of loud and obnoxious people that are inconsiderate of others at theaters, and it'd be silly to assume each of them was on the spectrum. There are simply crappy people sometimes.

I could easily see myself getting upset by someone ruining the theater experience in this fashion. All others in the audience paid to see the movie just the same, and didn't expect their own experience to be hampered by this girl who couldn't control herself due to her condition. Suppose it was someone else's birthday in that audience, would they not have the right to feel their experience was also being ruined by her?

So, I don't think it's right to blame others for bringing this up to staff members. I just don't condone any verbal or physical abuse of the disruptive person. I think it's unfortunate that she had to go alone on her birthday. I think perhaps if her mom, or friend accompanied her, this sort of incident may never have happened.

Ultimately, I think all theaters should adapt a "Sensory Friendly" showtime for all movies allowing for people with severe and/or uncontrollable forms of autism, or whatever else to be able to go and enjoy themselves.

[senseabove]

Originally Posted by El_Fez

Being in america, I'm not really in a position to go to their chain, but I'll be dammed if I buy any of their discs going forward. They can eat a flaming bag of shit after this.

Originally Posted by Darby1985

Yeah, because the ushers are the ones programming, licencing, restoring or doing anything involved with the releases....this would be like refusing to watch Jaws again because you had bad service at Universal Studios.

They've also said straight up "we were wrong" and issued an apology: https://www.facebook.com/BritishFilm...96492230392925




In this situation, it sounds like the guy who initiated it all was being an ass, but BFI staff banked on the cinephile sanctuary vibe being more important, without reading the situation. Frankly, I've been as annoyed lately by self-righteous cinephiles causing large distractions that affect more people by asking someone to stop causing a distraction as I have the people causing the initial distraction. And I say that as someone who has few qualms about shushing/scolding...

[UpsetSmiley]

Originally Posted by stepeanut

Woman with Asperger's removed from BFI cinema 'for laughing':

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-43950171

Not good publicity for the BFI.

Did anyone here witness this?

She was disrupting the screening, I don't see how escorting her out because of that is discrimination or in anyway affiliated with her diagnosis. It's a one rule for all situation here, especially at the cinema. On the other hand, the man who resorted to insulting her is clearly not on the same level as a true cinephile. He should be the one making the apology, the security team only did what they were paid to do.

I don't know why there was laughter during The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. I mean, it's hardly Blazing Saddles. It's also a film which utilises silence (...and stares, lots and lots of stares) for tension.

A nice way to resolve this is to send her the entire BFI catalogue on Blu-ray!

But most of all, I had no idea this screening was taking place. Gimme tickets, gimme gimme gimme!

[Fnord Prefect]

Laughing at a film is disrupting the screening? The people who complained need to get a grip.

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by minister_x

Apparently they did remove the person verbally abusing her:
https://twitter.com/BFI/status/991248360274300929

Glad that a number of people walked out in disgust at her treatment though.

EDIT: Not sure why the forum won't let me save the direct link correctly...

Well I'm glad about they ejected the person who allegedly screamed 'Retard' at the woman. Hoping that they compensate her appropriately.

Originally Posted by Cremildo

You are all indignant as if the patrons had any idea she was autistic while she was laughing her head off during the movie and disrupting it. Give me a break.

Well one of them had an a idea she was but rather unhelpfully shouting 'retard' at her was not quite a recognition of disability that is acceptable to anyone.

Originally Posted by stepeanut

I did not offer an opinion. I simply posted a link to the story and asked if anyone here witnessed the incident.

However, the BBC now has an interview with the girl, who claims that BFI staff grabbed her by the arms and dragged her to the door. That sounds a lot like assault to me. If true, I do have a problem with the staff conduct.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-43961588

I have a problem with the Security staff's response , physical intervention should be the very last resort not a 'go to' response.

Originally Posted by Cremildo

For all intents and purposes, to the audience, it was a person being disruptive. They had every right to be annoyed and angered. Not sure how they, sitting there in the dark watching a movie, were supposed to know that a total stranger had Aspergers. Perhaps the BFI people who removed the girl from the theater should have been more cautious after her claims, but even then, they might have thought she made that up as an excuse for her behavior.

It's hardly a simplistic situation, but the fake outrage mob always takes one side, refuses to acknowledge any nuance and thinks that their feelings give them moral authority over it. Again: spare me that crap.

Laughing at the funny parts of a film is not disruptive really. If the security staff had thought things through to begin with the situation could have been so much different.

Originally Posted by CouncilSpectre

Sounds like an impossible situation to me, and I'm not really sure what the answer should have been.

That being said, I know it's not to drag a disabled person from their seat though.

Physical intervention should always be a last resort.

I'll be interested to see how they are going to compensate the woman in question.

[UpsetSmiley]

Originally Posted by Fnord Prefect

Laughing at a film is disrupting the screening? The people who complained need to get a grip.

In all fairness, the article is vague. We don't know the full story. But from what I assume it seems as if there was a constant noise which angered people in the auditorium. You know how it is, even the slightest sound a person can make in the cinema can be distracting. In America, audience reactions are loud and lively, but here nobody even claps when the credits roll.

Also we're British, complaining is our speciality.

[stepeanut]

Originally Posted by Si Parallel Universe

I have a problem with the Security staff's response , physical intervention should be the very last resort not a 'go to' response.

Absolutely agree. In this circumstance, the woman has not broken any law, although her conduct may go against general BFI house policy on behaviour during screenings.

Security staff do not have any rights over and above those of any other member of the public, when it comes to performing a citizens arrest. Again, no law has been broken, so a citizens arrest doesn’t come into play. Therefore, grabbing and dragging the woman is classed as a common assault under U.K. law, and she would have a strong case against the staff involved, should it come before the courts. The fact that she, presumably, has plenty of witnesses to the incident, and that the BFI has already admitted they were in the wrong, stands in her favour.

Originally Posted by Si Parallel Universe

I'll be interested to see how they are going to compensate the woman in question.

The woman has accepted the BFI’s apology and is still considering their offer of a free, private screening of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Personally, I don’t think this goes far enough, but I don’t think sending her a Blu-ray of Salò is the answer, either. It sounds like she’d rather use this as an opportunity to draw public attention to the plight of Asperger’s suffers, rather than seek retribution through the courts. In which case, the BFI are very lucky indeed.

[CinemaScope]

Well she must have been bloody loud to be asked to leave (I wonder what the people sitting near her thought?), and if she was asked to leave, she should have left. She sounds like a bit of a drama queen to me.

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by stepeanut

Absolutely agree. In this circumstance, the woman has not broken any law, although her conduct may go against general BFI house policy on behaviour during screenings.

Security staff do not have any rights over and above those of any other member of the public, when it comes to performing a citizens arrest. Again, no law has been broken, so a citizens arrest doesn’t come into play. Therefore, grabbing and dragging the woman is classed as a common assault under U.K. law, and she would have a strong case against the staff involved, should it come before the courts. The fact that she, presumably, has plenty of witnesses to the incident, and that the BFI has already admitted they were in the wrong, stands in her favour.



The woman has accepted the BFI’s apology and is still considering their offer of a free, private screening of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Personally, I don’t think this goes far enough, but I don’t think sending her a Blu-ray of Salò is the answer, either. It sounds like she’d rather use this as an opportunity to draw public attention to the plight of Asperger’s suffers, rather than seek retribution through the courts. In which case, the BFI are very lucky indeed.

If it were up to me the private screening should be used to take friends family and other Aspergers sufferers along to along with sympathetic media representation and draw positive highlighting.

Aspergers should be highlighted positively as its an unseen disability rather than a physical one and judging even by a minority of comments on this thread some people still don't understand this.

The BFI are very fortunate she isn't pressing any charges. They should consider having calming events and they should take into consideration the concerns of the supportive patrons that attended as part of their education on this matter. Oh and train the SIA staff in disability awareness.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by CinemaScope

She sounds like a bit of a drama queen to me.

Well then you completely, and utterly failed to read the situation properly then

[MifuneFan]

Force of Habit - by Tamsin Parker - YouTube

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

On the other hand, many people on this site complain all the time about disruptive behavior at theaters, even using it as their main reason why they refuse to even go to the theaters.

I try to time my visits now to the very end of a run, so as to ensure the cinema is as empty as possible. I've just no patience anymore for the ADD generation checking their phones every five minutes, or for slobs grazing on a jumbo-size barrel of popcorn for two hours.

I don't know anything about this particular situation, so can't comment. My brother is a member of the BFI and I recall him saying they are always strict about disruptions (and I believe only allow bottled water in screenings, which would a godsend here in the US).

On a happier note, my copy of They Came to a City arrived from Amazon UK today. A blind-buy, but the synopsis sounds exactly my cup of tea. Plus, I think Basil Dearden is quite underrated as a director.

[CinemaScope]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Well then you completely, and utterly failed to read the situation properly then

Well I admit I wasn't there. Was you?

[Morriford]

Originally Posted by CinemaScope

Well I admit I wasn't there. Was you?

I wasn’t there but I have family with Aspergers so I understand that it may seem like an autistic person is an extrovert (or drama queen as you so eloquently put it) but this couldn’t be further from the truth. This woman has a condition which doesn’t allow here brain to comprehend the complex social norms that you take for granted, would you insult someone with one leg for talking to long to leave the screen? Maybe you could give out about someone in a wheelchair blocking an aisle or someone with asthma coughing to loud?

I hate the whole safe space, trigger warning PC bullcrap society we live in but insulting anyone because of their disability is pretty low

[CinemaScope]

Originally Posted by Morriford

I wasn’t there but I have family with Aspergers so I understand that it may seem like an autistic person is an extrovert (or drama queen as you so eloquently put it) but this couldn’t be further from the truth. This woman has a condition which doesn’t allow here brain to comprehend the complex social norms that you take for granted, would you insult someone with one leg for talking to long to leave the screen? Maybe you could give out about someone in a wheelchair blocking an aisle or someone with asthma coughing to loud?

I hate the whole safe space, trigger warning PC bullcrap society we live in but insulting anyone because of their disability is pretty low

Yes I understand all that, & I apologise for the drama queen remark, but...if someone's annoying you, whether it's from a condition or just plain rudeness, it's still ruining your evening out.

I do have something in common with this woman, as I was thrown out of the NFT some decades ago. It was an afternoon showing of Things To Come, & there was this girl with a French boyfriend & she was very loudly translating everything into French for him, you could hardly hear the film, people was looking at her & tutting, in the end I couldn't take it anymore & shouted, shut the **** up! It was then I was asked to leave, which I did, I didn't have to be dragged out, & as I walked out of the exit all I could hear was her voice speaking French! I never ever went back again.

[SilverBlueSnow]

The cinema release of the latest restoration (2009 Deutsche Kinemathek) of Pandora's Box is set to start in June.

I am guessing by the poster (I love it!) that the BFI have the theatrical rights. I assume the rights issues have been cleared up and that we will be getting this on Bluray via BFI or some other label?

Great News!!!!!!!!!

[CouncilSpectre]

Originally Posted by SilverBlueSnow

The cinema release of the latest restoration (2009 Deutsche Kinemathek) of Pandora's Box is set to start in June.

I am guessing by the poster (I love it!) that the BFI have the theatrical rights. I assume the rights issues have been cleared up and that we will be getting this on Bluray via BFI or some other label?

Great News!!!!!!!!!

I asked the BFI about a blu release a month or so back - they confirmed that they only have the theatrical screening rights.

On the bright side though, great news that this IS actually the 2009 Deutsche Kinemathek restoration and not the 1997 Munich Film Museum restoration as initially reported

[SilverBlueSnow]

Originally Posted by CouncilSpectre

I asked the BFI about a blu release a month or so back - they confirmed that they only have the theatrical screening rights.

On the bright side though, great news that this IS actually the 2009 Deutsche Kinemathek restoration and not the 1997 Munich Film Museum restoration as initially reported

I assume that the rights issues have been resolved if it is finally getting a theatrical release.

I am sure that Criterion have their eye on this!

Feel pretty confident it will get a Bluray release soon!

[CouncilSpectre]

Certainly hope so!

[El_Fez]

Originally Posted by Darby1985

Yeah, because the ushers are the ones programming, licencing, restoring or doing anything involved with the releases....this would be like refusing to watch Jaws again because you had bad service at Universal Studios.

And if a tour guide at Universal dragged a disabled person off a tram, I might very well go "Yeah, **** 'em" - because that's not right.