Richard Wolstencroft, an Australian director and film festival producer, who puts on the annual Melbourne Underground Film Festival (MUFF) had his home raided by police nearly two months after an August MUFF screening of Canadian director Bruce LaBruce’s new movie, LA Zombie, which was described in the festival’s program as “gay zombie porn.”
Last week, three cops raided Wolstencroft’s house and threatened to take his DVD collection. The official reason police have given that Wolstencroft’s home was raided, was “in relation to exhibiting and possessing an unclassified film.” Wolstencroft is expected to face the matter in court. He says he has not yet been charged, but is worried he will get a criminal conviction and not be able to travel to the United States.
“As a working filmmaker I travel to America. I’m talking to Hollywood producers about doing my next film - that’s a major concern,” he said.
The Australian Classification Board banned the film before it was going to be screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) in July. Wolstencroft decided that he’d show the film at his underground festival in August and see what would happen. The police never showed up, and the film, which has been playing the festival circuit worldwide in 2010, was screened without incident.
Wolstencroft called last week’s raid “absurd, ridiculous and perverse.”
There is no way this film should be banned. It’s a major work of art,” he said. “It’s playing at major film festivals - the Locarno Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival. If this was playing in a gallery, there is no way the police would come anywhere near it.”
Film historian Jack Sargeant has written an open letter in support of the Melbourne Underground Film Festival, which has also been posted on Wolstencroft’s blog. Below, a decidedly PG-rated trailer for LA Zombie.
