“The Holly” lawsuit dropped as film wins red carpet upgrade at Denver Film Festival

0

Two Denver men suing author-director Julian Rubinstein and his production team over “The Holly” book and film withdrew their lawsuit on Thursday after admitting they hadn’t actually seen the movie they were suing him over.

At the same time, “The Holly” documentary grabbed a surprise, last-minute red carpet spot at the Denver Film Festival. The unusual addition came after previous “Holly” showings on Nov. 6 and Nov. 9 quickly sold out, prompting widespread demands for more tickets, according to producers at Denver Film.

The film will now screen as a red carpet selection at the 2,225-seat Ellie Caulkins Opera House on Nov. 10.

While the two events are not directly related, they symbolize another week of wins for “The Holly: Five Bullets, One Gun and the Struggle to Save an American Neighborhood.” Both the book and the documentary investigate and critique Denver’s gang scene and the city’s use of informants. They’re centered around activist Terrance Roberts and the Holly Square area of North Park Hill, as well as Denver’s news media and political machinery.

The defamation claim against Rubinstein and his publisher first appeared on May 10, and was amended on July 14 to include the film’s producers after its release — it had hit the festival circuit at Telluride Mountainfilm just weeks before. The creative team was served papers in September, according to public filings.

Interview subjects Sheria Hicks and Pernell Hines alleged libel and slander in Rubinstein’s portrayal of them as active gang members, despite working for the city’s anti-gang program. But Rubinstein and lawyer Steve Zansberg warned them their lawsuit was going to fail based on a wealth of evidence to the contrary.

Hicks and Hines were not immediately available for comment Thursday.

“Many of the things claimed as defamation in the lawsuit were neither in the book nor the film,” Rubinstein said over the phone, hours after a judge approved the dismissal. “They actually admitted they hadn’t even seen the film. I’m also not sure if they’ve read the book. It was simply an attempt to block the publication of information that is in the public interest.”

Denver District Court Marie Avery Moses dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, according to the document signed Thursday, Oct. 22, meaning it cannot be refiled again.

Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our  Twitter, & Facebook

We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.

For all the latest Entertainment News Click Here 

Read original article here

Denial of responsibility! Rapidtelecast.com is an automatic aggregator around the global media. All the content are available free on Internet. We have just arranged it in one platform for educational purpose only. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials on our website, please contact us by email – [email protected]. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.
Leave a comment