On The Verge
Encyclopedia
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
made by SchNEWS
SchNEWS
SchNEWS is a free weekly publication from Brighton, England, which has been running since November 1994. The main focus is environmental and social issues/struggles in the UK – but also internationally – with an emphasis on direct action protest, and autonomous political struggles...
SchMovies that was supposed to have its premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
screening at the Duke of York's Cinema, Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, UK, on 17 March 2008.
The film covers the history of the Smash EDO anti-war campaign in Brighton, protesting the arms manufacturer EDO MBM Technology Ltd located in the town from 2004 to 2008. The film is critical of the Sussex Police
Sussex Police
Sussex Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing East Sussex, West Sussex and City of Brighton and Hove in southern England. Its head office is in Lewes, Lewes District, East Sussex.-History:...
, arguing that they colluded with the company to intimidate protesters and bolster the case for a High Court harassment injunction
EDO Injunction Case
The EDO Injunction Case was a High Court of Justice civil action brought by EDO MBM Technology Ltd a subsidiary of EDO Corporation against anti-war protesters in Brighton, that began in April 2005 and was settled by March 2006...
. This would have banned anti-war protests outside the factory, but a judge found the company had abused the legal process.
The film showing was cancelled at the last moment as a result of an intervention by Sussex Police who worked with Brighton and Hove Council to threaten the cinema with legal action if the showing went ahead. The film had not been certificated by the local authority and the council claimed it would have breached local health and safety laws if shown.
The cinema were told by the council that the police had contacted them and informed them of the breach in licencing law, but the police denied this saying that they never get involved in issues of film certification. Later Sussex police admitted a 'a junior officer,...not based in the city' had contacted the council about the film.
Council documents released in April 2008 under the Freedom of Information Act concealed the identity and location of the complaining police officer. Sussex Police released a single notebook entry and refused to confirm or deny the existence of other information.
In March 2008 the film began a tour of venues across Britain and was dogged by similar censorious events in a number of towns and cities in what appeared to be a coordinated campaign by unknown elements in the British establishment to have the film banned.
In May 2008 SchNEWS reported that the secret Sussex police officer who had contacted Brighton council had been identified as a plain clothes Detective Constable based at Sussex Police HQ in Lewes. Lewes is also the base for Sussex Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
.
In May 2008 a free torrent download of the film was released on the internet by the filmmakers.
In April 2009 the film was nominated for an Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression film award.