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Title: 'Fear' & Loathing In New Orleans
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Blog Entry: October 27, 2007 Censorship reared it's ugly head against the 'FEAR' (Film, Effects, and Animation Revival) Festival taking place this weekend at the Ashe Cultural Arts Center, 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, and Zeitgeist Multi-disciplinary Arts, Center, at Tulane University. NOCCA ( New Orleans Center for Creative Arts), had agreed to be a sponsor for the Event, which features the works of new artists and technicians in the fields of horror films, computer animation, and special effects. That is, until they learned that the Keynote Speaker would be none other than Actor, Director, Author, and former Porn Star, Ron Jeremy. Then all of a sudden it was a different story. NOCCA made it clear that unless Mr. Jeremy was dropped from the Program, they would withdraw all support for the Event, both financial and promotional. Festival Organizers Joseph and Nesrim Vance of Lucid SFX Development (LSD), and yes the company name caused problems as well, refused to do so. NOCCA then upped the ante by threatening scholarship students who wished to enter the Festival's Film Contest. They were warned that if they participated in the FEAR Festival while Mr. Jeremy remained as a featured guest, they could risk losing their scholarships. I, for one, am appalled at this outrageous display of censorship and coercion. It's amazing that here in New Orleans, a city that was originally colonized by convicted French Prostitutes and other criminals for God's sake; that such hyocritical attitudes can be allowed to interfere with artistic expression. And how can an organization like NOCCA, which was founded for the sole purpose of fostering the arts in New Orleans, justify threatening student artists with loss of scholarship for simply participating in an Event ? Are they to be permitted to be the arbiter of what is or is not an acceptable arena for students to present their work? If these type of fascist policies are not challenged here in New Orleans, they can spread like a cancer, hampering the creative output of an entire generation of aspiring student artists. What's so dammed laughable about all this is the ignorance of NOCCA in objecting to Mr. Jeremy in the first place. If they'd done their homework, instead of issuing a blanket condemnation of the man, they might have understood why Ron Jeremy was chosen to headline 'Fear' in the first place. When questioned as to why they refused to remove Mr. Jeremy from the program, the Vance's response was quick and to the point. 'Mr. Jeremy is a college educated, former teacher, best selling author, independent film director, and legitimate actor. He is supremely qualified to head a panel discussion on Independent and Low Budget Film, which is what he was invited to do.' More importantly, he is a down to earth, human being, not given to the egotistical attitude prevalent in so many stars of his stature. My point is this: Why should any artistic venue have to defend its choice of artist? Why should an aspiring student have to be restricted as to where he can present his work? Friends, if you feel as I do, that using the purse strings as a means of censorship is reprehensible, that it dilutes the available pool of artistic excellence, please help me spread awareness of NOCCA'S unfair stance. Please repost this, so as many people as possible can be aware of the state of artistic endowments here in New Orleans. Thank you, Giuliana Aiello NerveDeaf Productions