Skip to main content

Kobe Bryant dismay after removal from film jury

Kobe Bryant Former NBA star turned Oscar-winning filmmaker Kobe Bryant expressed disappointment on Wednesday after being removed from the jury of an animation film festival because of his 2003 rape case. Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers icon who won an Academy Award this year for his animated short film “Dear Basketball”, was dumped from the Animation Is Film Festival after an online petition protesting his involvement. “After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury,” festival founder Eric Beckman said in a statement. “We are a young organization and it is important to keep our collective energies focused on the films, the participating filmmakers, and our festival attendees.” Bryant’s removal from the event came after a petition emerged last week calling on festival organisers and sponsors to drop the athlete. The petition argued that Bryant’s involvement “sets a precedent of lenience for sexual criminals and further undermines the visibility and respect that victims of harassment and assault deserve.” Bryant was charged with raping a 19-year-old hotel worker in Colorado in 2003 as he prepared for a knee operation. He denied the charges but admitted consensual sex with the woman. The case later collapsed when his accuser refused to testify. A separate civil suit was settled out of court. Bryant on Wednesday voiced dismay at his exclusion from this weekend’s film festival. “I was honored to have been originally invited by Animation is Film to serve on the 2018 Jury, and am disappointed to no longer serve in that capacity,” Bryant said. “This decision further motivates me and my commitment to building a studio that focuses on diversity and inclusion in storytelling for the animation industry.”

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Inspirational Motivational Quotes

1. Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. — Confucius 2. All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. – Walt Disney 3. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. – Confucius 4. Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. — George Addair 5. Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill 6. Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny. – C.S. Lewis 7. Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine. ― Roy T. Bennett 8. I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. – Nelson Mandela 9. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. ― Paulo Coelho 10. It’s not whether you ...

Naked Attraction gets brutal when contestant awkwardly only compliments rival on 'nice skin'

Yes, it's the weirdest show on telly. But things got even weirder when two rivals had to compliment each other...   Naked Attraction viewers were laughing even more than usual when one contestant could only offer the compliment “nice skin” to a rival.  In a recent episode of the show - in which would-be lovers pick out a partner based only on their naked genitalia - a contestant called Melissa made it to the final with another woman called Jordan, and potential partner Charles had to pick one of them to go on a date with.  They were both asked to compliment each other. Jordan said: “She’s got amazing teeth and blue eyes”.  But Melissa paused for a while, and could only muster: “"She's got... really nice skin..." Charles then told the pair his final choice: "This is right hard. It's going to have to be Jordan."  When Melissa left the show, she quipped: "It's been a nice experience but if I went on a date with Charles all I would have in...

N-Power Impact Series: How To Enter For The Competition To Win N1m

The competition which will commence Tuesday November 13th, 2018 is a social media competition for NPower beneficiaries to share the impact NPower has had on them (N Power beneficiaries) and on their respective communities. The competition is open to all beneficiaries of N Power. Step-by-step instructions to enter into the N-Power Impact Series competition Below are the steps you need to take to enter in to the competition: 1). Interested contestants are required to make and post a 1-minute impact story on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo or Youtube with accompanying caption. Content of Video: a. Video must start with the contestant’s full name. b. Next is Local govt area. c. State of residence d. Place of primary assignment and the NPower category where the beneficiary is serving. e. Contestants must use the hashtags #ThisIsNPower and #MyImpactThroughNPower when sharing the story on social media. 2). An independent body will conduct an assessment and select three b...