Castlemaine Film Fest Defends Decision To Screen Anti-Vaccination Documentary

The Castlemaine Local & International Film Festival has defended its decision to screen a controversial documentary that claims vaccinating infants from potentially fatal diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella can cause autism. 

Vaxxed: From Cover-up To Catastrophe features a former US Centre For Disease Control And Prevention employee, William Thompson, who claims research linking autism with three-shot vaccinations was covered up.

The Festival’s creative director, David Thrussell, who is also a founder-member of the band Snog, told ABC news he believed there was a public interest in seeing the film. “What concerns me is the voices that call for censorship and treat the adult population as if they are infants,” he said. Since announcing its intention to screen the film, administrators at the Castlemaine Local & International Film Festival say their website has been hacked and that they have been “subjected to relentless harassment”.

Claims that vaccinations have negative effects on childhood mental development have been almost unanimously dismissed by the scientific community after a number of peer-reviewed studies found no casual links between vaccines and autism. Despite this, so-called "anti-vaxxers" have continued to campaign against childhood vaccination.

Despite the documentary’s clear anti-vaccination message, Thrussell has maintained that the film is not explicitly anti-vaccination and that it was unanimously selected by the Festival’s selection committee, adding “it was the number-one best-selling documentary on Amazon last week.” Earlier this year in March, Robert De Niro pulled the controversial documentary from the New York-based Tribeca Film Festival, which he founded in 2002. 

Coincidentally, vaccination rates in Central Victoria and the Castlemaine region are low compared to the national average, with just over 80% of one and two-year-olds vaccinated – 10% lower than the expected level.

The reaction on Twitter to the announcement of the Festival’s intention to screen the film was almost entirely negative.

I understand why a film fest like @CLIFF04089876 wants to show a controversial documentary, but #Vaxxed is neither.

— Shelley:Stocken (@shellity) September 16, 2016

@CLIFF04089876 @shellity must differentiate "opinions" from a deliberately constructed lie which will result in unnecessary illness & death

— Dr Tremmo (@DrTremmo) September 16, 2016

@CLIFF04089876 Would you show films advocating for female genital mutilation or the inferiority of entire races? Not always "two sides"

— Jamie Peck (@jamie_peck) September 16, 2016

@CLIFF04089876 @shellity The whole premise of the movie is to mislead, not to inform. It's nonsense that preys on those who can't tell that.

— Tracey McDermott (@melbournetracey) September 16, 2016