Thursday, August 08, 2013




Furore over 'sexist, racist'  DVD cover of Australian movie



The imminent DVD release of The Sapphires in the United States has prompted a social media backlash, with campaigners in Australia and America claiming the cover art is sexist and racist.

Home entertainment distributor Anchor Bay plans to release the homegrown hit in the US next week, but has chosen to downplay the significance of the four Aboriginal women at the heart of the story in favour of Irish actor Chris O'Dowd, who plays the drifter who becomes their manager.

O'Dowd's image is front and centre, in full colour, while the [black] women - played by Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens and Miranda Tapsell - provide a muted blue-toned backdrop.

The post was read by 24-year-old Melbourne climate change activist Lucy Manne, who started a petition on change.org to try to convince Anchor Bay to change the artwork.

Source


6 comments:

Brian from Rochester NY said...

OK folks, repeat after me: "Not everything is about race!"

Marketing, most likely, is the reason for this change in artwork. Chris O'Dowd is well known in England and America, so of course he would be more prominently featured on the cover. The recognition factor could likely sell more copies.

The original artwork, with the aboriginal singers front and center was appropriate to draw the attention of the home audience (Australia).

It's all in the marketing. Get over yourselves.

Anonymous said...

More whining from the perpetually offended.

God this crap is getting old!

Anonymous said...

"God this crap is getting old!"

So is all the predictable right wing comments. Yawn

Anonymous said...

This site is only for the right-wing types and religious freaks to validate each other like a mutual-appreciation society. It's only the lefties and atheists that inject a bit of polemical life into this otherwise moribund discussion site (whose host feeds the righties the kind of pavlovian fodder they relish!).

Anonymous said...

@2:54 - indeed

Anonymous said...

2:54, unfortunately lefties don't bother to bring logic to their arguments. I guess people aren't listening to her global warming nonsense anymore, so now she has to draw attention to herself with another cause.