Sundance 2011: Sundance Institute dismisses Red State Protests as 'lame'

Kevin Smith's made his first horror movie and some people don't like it. Not that anyone's actually seen it yet...

Clerks director and Sundance alumnus Smith is due to premiere his inaugural fright-flick, Red State on Sunday 23rd, but the recent reports suggest the right-wing Westboro Baptist Church plan to stage a protest outside the Eccles Theatre where it will screen.

But today in a level headed response at the opening press conference, the Sundance's Institute's John Cooper played down the Church group's intended stance suggesting the protests were not speficially related to Smith's film.

"Their main sticking point about Sundance in general is about films with homosexulity" Cooper explained "the protesters are against homosexual content, it's as simple or as lame as that."

Smith himself, whose film, according to Cooper is "about young homosexual men who get murdered in a chuch setting" (although the programme synopsis suggests it's more about horn dogs lured by a gang bang with an older woman - we'll get back to you on this one...), has said he's planning a counter protest of his own.

Posting on his website www.silentbobspeaks.com Smith announced his production company The Harvey Boys would stage a peaceful counter protest:

"For thirty minutes of fun-filled photo-opportunities, the Harvey Boys will peacefully counter-protest the WBC Eccles Theater Protest of Red State. All are welcome.

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Wear YOUR dopey sentiments nobody gives a shit about on a sign of your own making, as you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the folks who've mastered the art of writing utter horseshit on cardboard! BYOS (Bring Your Own Sign)"

Speaking at the press conference Robert Redford supported the decision to screen the film saying "I'm anti-ideology. Our work tries to transcend politics, we try to tell stories that are about the whole country.

"We're not beholden to any power like government or censorship so audiences see the benefit of viewing a wide breadth of films."

Rosie is the former editor of Total Film, before she moved to be the Special Edition Editor for the magazine group at Future. After that she became the Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and now she's the UK Editor of Den of Geek. She's an experienced movie and TV journalist, with a particular passion for horror.