MultiChoice Group-owned streaming media platform Showmax has permanently removed five Leon Schuster-made movies, saying the titles contain “negative racial stereotyping and prominent elements of blackface”.
Seven titles have been removed in total in an “initial review of the content on Showmax”. The streamer earlier removed all Schuster movies from its platform pending the review.
“Of the six Leon Schuster movies reviewed, we will be reinstating Frank & Fearless. The other five will not be returning. We recognise these movies are a product of their time and were created with positive intent,” Showmax said.
“Showmax is an entertainment service and we don’t endorse the views or actions that take place in the shows and movies on our platform. It’s not our place to tell people what is right or wrong, nor what they should find offensive. But we will make decisions as to what content we are comfortable hosting,” it said in a statement.
“We believe that platforms such as ours have a role to play in bringing people together through shared experiences. We don’t want to shy away from polarising topics but we also don’t want to sow division. We won’t always get the balance right but we’ll do our best to listen and to learn from our mistakes.” — (c) 2020 NewsCentral Media
