For some 11 months, the makers of the new movie “I’m Not Ashamed” about the young girl who was the first victim of the Columbine killers in Colorado in 1999 were unable to promote their movie through Youtube.
The trailer was taken down late in 2015, and the movie’s entire channel then was suspended.
It’s back now, with the movie opening on Oct. 21, but the makers still want to know why the Internet company took the damaging action.
The Hollywood Reporter noted Youtube released a generic statement that, “sometimes we make the wrong call on content that is flagged by our community. When this is brought to our attention, we review the content and take appropriate action, including restoring videos or channels that were mistakenly removed.”
So it took 11 months to review?
The response is not good enough, film producer Chuck Howard told the Reporter.
After all, when he was told last October that the trailer violated Youtube standards, he asked why. Over and over and over again.
Movieguide reports the Pure Flix Entertainment release is about Rachel Joy Scott, the teenage girl who was a victim in the Columbine High shooting.
It describes the movie as an “evangelistic message” about Scott.
Howard, who asked Youtube for an explanation, suggested that a possible explanation is the depiction of the Columbine shooting, which he described as intense but not graphic.
“If you look at the objectionable videos on YouTube – beheadings, recruitment videos for ISIS – and they take ours down because it has the name ‘Jesus’ in it? It’s the only reason they’d take it down. Then, magically, it’s back up the moment the press calls them on it,” he noted.
The Reporter had inquired about the issue at the time.
WND also submitted a request to Youtube for comment, but didn’t get a response.
Howard explained the 11 months the channel was blocked interfered with the movie’s promotions, and he is seeking compensation.
The trailer:
[jwplayer gWChytH3-pszPfxYQ]
The Reporter commented, “The trailer contains an intense but very brief look at the killers making a video prior to their rampage and also a snippet of the shooting at the school, but it is mild by today’s standards when it comes to graphic content.”
[jwplayer ylMVZKsc]
[jwplayer 6rOeghHB]
At the time the channel was suspended and the movie’s makers protested, Youtube said it reviewed and then stated, “We have decided to keep your account suspended based on our Community Guidelines and Terms of Serivce.”
The Reporter noted that Youtube followed the reinstatement with a threat.
“Youtube slapped the channel with a ‘temporary penalty’ and warned that further videos that offend its standards ‘could prevent you from posting content to Youtube or even lead to your account being terminated,” the Reporter said.
The report said it might have been a Change.org petition objecting to the film signed by a small group of people that influenced Youtube. Or it might have been the vocal opposition of atheists.
Scott’s story comes largely from the journals she kept, the testimony from family memers and others.
“I’m Not Ashamed” stars Macy McLain as Scott, Sadie Robertson as Charity and Terri Minton as Scott’s mother, Beth Nimmo. Others featured are Ben Davies, Korie Robertson, Jaci Velasquez and Jennifer O’Neill.
