news wrote yesterday that the children’s film “Helt super” had its premiere during the film festival in Berlin stopped after complaints from an anti-racist organisation. The filmmakers were then uncomprehending about the accusations, which caused them to stop the gala premiere during the Berlinale. Drama manager Ellen Alveberg at Qvisten Animation then said that they had not gained insight into what the complaint was about. In an email to news, the anti-racist organization Artef (Anti-Racism Taskforce for European Film) explains why they lodged a complaint against the film. They write that on 18 February they received several messages of concern from colleagues who had seen “Helt super” and expressed concern about the film’s portrayal of black people. Artef is an organization that will tackle institutional racism in European film and is supported by various film organisations. Reacting to the use of “blackface” In the e-mail, it appears that the concern is linked to what Artef believes is the use of “blackface” stereotypes: – In this film, the white superheroes change into lions who have, as opposed to actual lions , dark hands and especially dark faces and bodies that some of our colleagues have pointed out are notions with roots in colonialist thinking where black people have historically been dehumanized and compared to animals, writes Artef. The filmmakers behind “Helt super” have not understood the criticism and say they are surprised and disappointed. Watch the trailer for “Helt super” here: In the film, the protagonist Hedvig dons a superhero costume with a brown lion mask that covers her eyes. Hedvig’s father also wears such a superhero costume in several of the film’s scenes. Drama director Ellen Alveberg at Qvisten Animation says that the choice of the lion costume is well thought out. – Superhero characters are often based on animals and the reason we chose a lion is the collaboration with NAF, which is the film’s main collaboration partner. The lion is part of the Norwegian national coat of arms and is a well-known symbol of courage and strength, she says. Alveberg emphasizes that it is quite common for superhero costumes to have masks and points to other well-known heroes such as Catwoman and Batman. – Freedom of expression under pressure The filmmakers have also received support from the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI) and Virke producer association. – Artistic freedom and freedom of expression are under tremendous pressure in our time, and the fact that a film is shown unhindered at a festival is important if we are to have good discussions afterwards. This also applies to children’s films, said NFI director Kjersti Mo to news yesterday. But NFI will not agree that “Helt super” is racist. – NFI acknowledges that there is a film history where melanin-rich people have been represented racist. We don’t think that’s the case in “Helt super”. That individuals in the organization Artef choose to interpret Helt super in such a context must be at their expense, says Mo. Kjersti Mo refuses to confirm that NFI has sent an email to Artef and asked that their logo be removed from the website. Photo: FRODE FJERDINGSTAD / FRODE FJERDINGSTAD Will not be associated with Artef Yesterday, news told news that NFI had previously given a grant to a course Artef held in the organisation’s start-up phase. According to Artef, NFI has asked to be removed from their website following the accusation of racism. – Artef builds its legitimacy on other people’s names and institutions’ participation, and therefore we asked to be removed from their website, explains Mo. She says it is completely unnatural for NFI to support what she calls an activist organisation. Mo adds that NFI has chosen to prioritize other forms of international and inclusive work, including through the European Film Academy. – Artef’s complaint about “Helt super”, and the demand to remove the film from the programme, is an example of activism that we do not want to be associated with, says Mo. The filmmakers behind “Helt super” have not understood the criticism and say they are surprised and disappointed. Photo: Qvisten / NTB Want dialogue about structural racism Artef further writes in the e-mail that they do not think the filmmakers meant to be racist on purpose, but that they wanted to engage in dialogue with them about racist and stereotypical portrayals on film. – Our intention will still be to continue this conversation about structural problems that led to a film that produces “blackface” stereotypes and compares black people to animals being shown at the Berlinale, writes Artef. Mo in NFI points out that there have been no similar reactions from any of the 110,000 people in Norway who have seen the film. – What responsibility does NFI have when it comes to preventing structural racism in the film industry? – Through our action plan for diversity, NFI has facilitated increased diversity expertise in the Norwegian film industry and film bureaucracy. We have recruited more broadly to NFI, particularly among those who make decisions about which films receive subsidies. This has clearly contributed to the conversations in the rooms where decisions are made changing over time. This is structural change in practice and definitely work that we will continue to prioritize, says Mo. Artef also writes that they react strongly to the fact that the filmmakers who created the problem in the first place have used the situation to criticize Artef’s work and portray them as hostile. – Such reactions are expected when you are engaged in anti-racist work. It only emphasizes how little we think about the minorities in the film industry and society in general, points out Artef. Tried to make contact via Instagram Artef says that they tried to contact director Rasmus A. Sivertsen after receiving messages of concern related to “Helt super” via Instagram. – Why didn’t Sivertsen respond to the message? – Communicating on Instagram is very unprofessional. Sivertsen’s contact details are easy to find on Qvisten’s website, replies Alveberg. According to Artef, the organization was disappointed that no one from Qvisten was present when they had a meeting with the management at the Berlinale about the concerns. – We wanted a meeting with them already on Sunday, and asked the festival to set this up. We were offered a meeting on Wednesday 22 February, but by then we had gone home. We were never invited to Tuesday’s meeting, explains Alveberg. Alveberg has previously pointed out that the management behind the Berlinale handled the whole matter in an exceptionally messy and unprofessional manner. In a response to news, the Berlinale wrote that they decided to have a text with a warning on the rest of the screenings of “Helt super” after having been in dialogue with the two talks separately.
ttn-69
Accuses children’s film of using “blackface” – news Culture and entertainment
