Bad news could be on the way.
It’s looking increasingly likely that Louis Theroux’s My Scientology Movie will not be getting a release in Ireland due to blasphemy laws.
Graham Spurling, the owner of Movies@Dundrum, Movies@Swords, Movies@Gorey and SGC Dungarvan, informed us that as things stand, distributors aren’t willing to screen the film because Ireland’s blasphemy laws do not offer them any protection from potential litigation.
Spurling informs us that he hoped to do the LIVE Q&A event on Oct 10 but legislation has placed these plans in serious jeopardy.
@JOEdotie @Scannain_com @LovemoviesIre Regret that after much trying LTMSM will not get an Irish release. 😡😡 our blasphemy law to blame? 😡😡 pic.twitter.com/7BNmxCrj67
— GRAHAM (@grahams_graham) September 25, 2016
The main act of contention is The Defamation Act of 2009. Under this piece of legislation, any “publication or utterance of blasphemous matter” against any religion is an offence and carries a fine of €25,000.
Altitude Films are distributing the film in the UK but at the present moment, there’s no Irish distributor.
There is a loophole in the act though which allows for the screening of any work that has “genuine literary, artistic, political, scientific, or academic value”, but for the reasons mentioned previously, distributors are worried that they might be found to be in breach of this legislation.
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