NO PUBLIC MONEY FOR 5 YEAR OLD MOVIE GOERS

The administration of Governor Charlies Crist has decided to promote the production of family friendly films in Florida by creating a Special Fund to provide grants and/or loans for these projects. The critical guideline for these films is that they must be suitable for 5 years olds. (See proposed bill below)

Among the provisions in the proposed bill is one that requires that the scripts for these projects be reviewed and approved by the members of the Florida Film & Entertainment Advisory Council, who have comprise a collection of political hacks that in the past have included a chiropractor from Tampa, Jeb Bush’s personal fund raiser from Miami, the Appellate lawyer who specializes in Constitutional law, the Orthodontist from Jacksonville, the retired Urologist from Sarasota, and a former banker, now publisher of Ocean drive magazine from Miami along with other political hack appointees.

The appellate lawyer I refer to is Rebecca Townsend, the woman from Tampa who claims that she shacked up with Governor Crist and had a baby girl, which she's supposedly never seen since giving the baby away, and who was recently forced off the council, or resigned, because of this bizarre mess.

This is the kind of crazy stuff that's too crazy even for a sitcom!

A Governor that claims he didn't have sex with a woman who says he did, and who refuses to take a DNA test for the kid's sake, promoting a scheme to promote family friendly film making in Florida with state money.

And along with this moral underpinning, it's all going to be supervised by a urologist, an orthodontist, a magazine publisher who's magazines celebrate the excesses and debauchery of South Beach and where ever, along with a bunch of other political hack appointees to a quasi-public advisory board.

And to top it off there has to be a personal interview with the director before they'll agree whether they'll fund one of these epics!

What kind of director - other than some religious freak or some weak, emasculated moron - would agree to undergoing an interview with a bunch of nitwit, quasi-state officials to determine whether he, or she, is subservient and sufficiently politically correct to be entrusted with some measly state grant to make a film suitable for a 5 year old?

Does anybody understand just how crazy all of this is?????

This is public money that's involved here, controlled by public officials. If this were happening in other countries - and it does - we'd be expressing moral outrage over the government control of the creative process!

This is what they do in Syria! In Iran! In North Korea! In all the little despotic, third rate, corrupt countries around the world!

This is the single craziest scheme that I've ever heard of having to do with our business in all the years I been part of it!

Everyone also has to finally realize that Paul Sirmons is at the center of all of this! This legislation was written in a back room in Tallahassee, and HE WAS IN THAT ROOM!!!!!!

People, you have to get upset over this! Tax incentive or no tax incentive, this is the kind of issue that could make people decide that there isn't enough tax incentive money in the world to come to Florida for.

I'm all for deliverables, and a requirement of professional competence that leads to a recoupment of investors money, but to require a director to submit to an interview, and in the process to be subjected to who knows what kinds of questions about his or her creative vision and integrity in order to satisfy everyone that Florida's 5 year olds will be protected against seeing anything objectionable - and that it be done by this collection of political hacks - is the most astounding thing that I have encountered in a long, long time!!!!!!!!!!!

Call Paul Sirmons and tell him enough is enough!!!!! Call your legislators!!!!! Call the Governor's Office!!!!!!

STAND UP AGAINST THIS BLATANT CENSORSHIP! STAND UP AGAINST THIS ATTACK ON CREATIVE FREEDOM! TELL THEM TO KEEP THEIR MONEY! THIS CAN ONLY LEAD TO WORSE IN THE FUTURE IF NO ONE STANDS UP NOW!!!!!

Al Crespo

PROPOSED BILL - THIS BILL IS PART OF A LARGER TAX INCENTIVE BILL -HB 1325 - WHICH WAS PASSED AS A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE LAST THURSDAY BY THE FLORIDA HOUSE ECONOMIC EXPANSION & INFRASTRUCTURE COUNCIL. THE ORIGINAL FILED VERSION OF THE BILL WAS HB 96. THIS VERSION SHOULD BE ON LINE THIS WEEK, I OBTAINED THIS COPY FROM THE STAFF ON FRIDAY.

288.1256 Florida Graduate Film Investment Fund.--
(1) The Office of Film and Entertainment shall create and administer a program, using moneys deposited into the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development's Grants and Donations Trust Fund pursuant to s. 288.1254(5)(f), to award either a grant or a loan guarantee for films that are:
(a) Written, produced, and directed by Florida residents who are graduates of an Office of Film and Entertainment approved film program at a Florida institution of higher education; and
(b) Determined by the Commissioner of Film and Entertainment, with the advice of the Florida Film and Entertainment Advisory Council, to be family friendly based on the review of the script and a personal interview with the director. Family friendly productions are those that have cross-generational appeal; would be considered suitable for viewing by children age 5 and older; are appropriate in theme, content, and language for a broad family audience; embody a responsible resolution of issues; and do not exhibit any act of smoking, sex, nudity, or vulgar or profane language.
(2) Films that are deemed by the Office of Film and Entertainment to contain obscene content as defined in s. 847.001(10) are not eligible for this program.

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