Tribeca Film Festival: ‘Vaxxed’ Filmmakers Fire Back After Fest Cancellation

We reported earlier that the Tribeca Film Festival had removed the controversial anti-vaccanation documentary Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe from its 2016 line-up. The film had originally be intended to make its world premiere at the New York film festival. Filmmaker Andrew Wakefield has fired back at the festival and also to Tribeca co-founder Robert De Niro. De Niro had originally defended the decision to the screen the documentary – which attempts to expose a link between MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccines and autism – but took that back upon further review.

The original selection of Vazzed at the festival drew an outcry from members of both the film and scientific community. Most of the science asserted in the documentary has largely been discredited with the medical community. Wakefield fired back, however, claiming he was denied “due process” before the Tribeca Film Festival halted the premiere of the film. The full statement is below:

To our dismay, we learned today about the Tribeca Film Festival’s decision to reverse the official selection of Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe.

Robert De Niro’s original defense of the film happened Friday after a one-hour conversation between De Niro and and Bill Posey, the congressman who has interacted directly and at length with the CDC Whistleblower (William Thompson) and whose team has scrutinized the documents that prove fraud at the CDC.

It is our understanding that persons from an organization affiliated with the festival have made unspecified allegations against the film – claims that we were given no opportunity to challenge or redress. We were denied due process.

We have just witnessed yet another example of the power of corporate interests censoring free speech, art, and truth.

Tribeca’s action will not succeed in denying the world access to the truth behind the film Vaxxed.

We are grateful to the many thousands of people who have already mobilized including doctors, scientists, educators and the autistic community.

The Tribeca Film Festival will run from April 13th-24th.