A friend working at the Toronto Film Festival has this scoop: "At the Toronto International Film Festival each film gets two screenings. The highly anticipated action film Kung Fu Hustle by Stephen Chow from China screened last night Sept 15th, and was supposed to get its re-screening today. However, the distributers: Sony/Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia/Beijing Film Studio of China Film Group Coorporation/Huayi Brothers & Taihe Film Investment Co. Ltd./The Star Overseas Ltd., did not feel that security was adequate and did not like the number of digital cameras etc in the audience. Audience members are allowed to bring cameras/recorders into the screenings to record the talk backs with the stars and directors that go on before and after the film. Feeling this was too risky Sony pulled the film's second screening, this is unheard of at the festival. The official reason from The Festival Staff is that the print was damaged in the first screening, could not be repaired and was un-showable . All tickets for the cancelled screening had to be refunded. The public does not know about the cover up. This kind of corporate paranoia is very bad, if distributors get all freaked out about possible bootlegs what will happen to the festival?"
(Thanks, Anonymous Tipster!)
