(picture via CarefreeBlackGirl)
An Italian distributor has apologized for using 12 Years a Slave posters that touted Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender, despite neither being the lead character and Brad Pitt being in the movie for about five minutes (playing a Southern-accented Canadian). Lionsgate and Summit say they didn’t authorize the posters.
Gee, you don’t think a country whose soccer fans throw bananas at black players and whose prime minister was famous for throwing “bunga bunga” parties might have a race problem, do you? Nah, couldn’t be…
BIM Distribuzione said in a statement Monday the “inappropriate materials have now been withdrawn” and expressed “regret any distraction this incident may have caused.” BIM said the new posters feature only Ejiofor, who has been nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of a freed black man who is abducted and sold into slavery.
The distributor said the posters featuring Pitt and Fassbender were aimed at “giving wide representation of what is told in the film itself.” [NYTimes]
“But-a Belissima, why for you look-a so angry? You guana give-a yourself-a di wrinkles you make-a di face a-like that. Mama, she like-a di Brad-a Pitt. Luigi put-a di Brad-a Pitt onna di poster. Problema? What’s-a di problema? Luigi no canna under-astand. Maybe you take-a nice-a shit anna you feel-a better, no make-a di face-a like-a that.”
Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o backed out of the film’s Italian premiere with no official reason given, though most inferred that it was due to the poster controversy. Personally, I think it’s more offensive that they renamed the film “Anni Schiavo.” Is that a reference to Terry Schiavo? What does that even mean? Sounds offensive to the vegetative, if you ask me.