DL
The fight over Bully continues with the NATO now making its own threats. News came out last week that the MPAA upheld its R-rating for The Weinstein Company’s Tribeca 2011 doc about school bullying. If TWC indeed goes ahead releasing the film unrated, the National Association of Theatre Owners will urge its members to consider the film, directed by Lee Hirsch, an NC-17 movie. Since last week’s appeals hearing, the Weinstein Co has considered releasing the doc unrated and even to boycott the MPAA altogether. That move could have further NATO implications for future TWC releases.
In a letter (see below) sent to Harvey Weinstein, NATO president and CEO John Fithian said he would “have no choice but to encourage my theater owner members to treat unrated movies from The Weinstein Company in the same manner as they treat unrated movies from anyone else. In most cases, that means enforcement as though the movies were rated NC-17 – where no one under the age of 18 can be admitted even with accompanying parents or guardians.”