Joel Bender's KARLA: 'The real problem is somebody is deciding on a personal basis what's appropriat

"The real problem is somebody is deciding on a personal basis what's appropriate and what isn't." - THINKFilm president and CEO Jeff Sackman on AMC Entertainment's decision not to screen Paul Provenza's The Aristocrats (which is being distributed in the U.S. by THINKFilm) at any of its theatres, as quoted in Nicole Sperling's July 13th The Hollywood Reporter article "AMC doesn't get dirty joke"

"[I have] made it a personal mission to convince others that it is not worth exploiting this particular film, regardless of whether it has any commercial or artistic merit [emphasis added]." - Sackman on Joel Bender's Karla (which he hasn't seen), as quoted in Simon Houpt's August 15th The Globe and Mail article "Karla showings defended"

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Film critic Matthew Hays has reviewed Joel Bender's Karla (formerly titled "Deadly"); his review, entitled "A First Look at Karla", can be read on the website of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Below are three quotes from "A First Look at Karla".

"Clearly, exploitation is in the eye of the beholder, but Karla has merits that make it something other than just utter sleaze. Despite a limited budget, it is well shot and is buoyed by a solid cast, especially its two leads. Indeed, Canada's collective psyche may not be ready for widespread distribution of Karla, but if people remain so troubled by this now-famous bit of crime and punishment, we can always exercise our democratic right to stay home and do something else with our time."

"Though only a handful of Canadians have actually seen Karla, this movie has already ignited a phenomenon in our country. In particular, it has exposed the hypocrisy of much of the media, who have admonished the filmmakers behind Karla for exploiting this piece of true crime while pumping up their own ratings and newspaper sales by languishing in an orgy of Homolka-driven headlines and stories -- a move that has allowed them to be at once prurient and puritanical."

"Those opposed to Karla -- none of whom, it must be noted, have actually seen it -- will probably succeed in blocking its screening at a Canadian film festival or at any of the nation's cinemas. But in what is arguably the most potent irony of the controversy, they have now piqued everyone's curiosity about this forbidden film, ensuring that -- given Internet mail-order service and the popularity of the DVD format -- Karla will almost certainly find a significant audience."

Review: "A First Look at Karla"
Karla official website
Karla trailer (downloadable 5.6 MB MOV file)