'Having been in made in London along streets where I have walked, it seemed too close to home, to me. 'Though not as violent as Joker, I felt that Blue Story glorified the violence and that there was no redemption - just when we have a massive crime situation going on across the country and in Birmingham city centre. 'It is better made and with better performances than I expected, but I generally don't like that kind of film. 'The film is about gangland violence in London where two friends end up on rival sides and hunting each other down in a bid to kill the other,' said Mr Mclean. Mr Mclean saw Blue Story on November 15 during an Unlimited screening at Cineworld Broad Street a week before its release. 'However Star City is still a safe place to go, Birmingham is still a safe place to go and it's really important that our communities and families feel safe to come out and enjoy themselves.'Ī 13-year-old girl, a girl and a boy, both aged 14, and a 19-year-old man were held on suspicion of assaulting police.Ī 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of obstructing police. 'So if anyone is feeling unsafe I can understand in the immediate wake of that why they might do. Mr Graham said it was 'concerning' that some of those involved were so young.Īddressing the safety of people in Birmingham, Mr Graham said: 'Incidents of the scale of disorder we saw last night are rare, not just at Star City but also across the city and the broader West Midlands. West Midlands Police said they would be making further arrests on Sunday or Monday.Ĭhief Superintendent Steve Graham said the force used by officers was 'proportionate', adding the disorder took 90 minutes to break up because police were not 'heavy-handed'.Ī dispersal order was issued to the group of about 100 people. Shocking footage shows young women appearing to push each other as officers try to get control of the situation.įlashing blue lights are also seen as a group of at least eight officers stands on the pavement outside in front of a large crowd. They had tasers, but police said they were not used.
Police officers were assaulted as they descended on the scene armed with guard dogs. Pockets of fighting erupted in a 100-strong crowd at the cinema after a 'group of people arrived with machetes'. 'The safety and welfare of our customers and staff is always our first priority.'īlue Story is a tragic tale of a friendship between Timmy and Marco, two young boys from warring postcodes in London who become friends but get caught up in gang violence. 'Should you have a booking for this film, please say cancellation when prompted and a member of our team will be with you shortly to assist you with your booking.'Ī spokesman added: 'We can confirm a decision was made to remove the film. 'Due to the recent incidents tied to screenings of the film 'Blue Story', after careful consideration with the film's distributor, Showcase Cinemas has immediately removed the film from our all of our participating cinemas.'Īccording to Birmingham Live, the message from Vue said: 'We regret that we will no longer be screening the film Blue Story at any of our venues. The film's distributor, Paramount Pictures, said it was 'saddened' by events at Star City, but that it thinks Blue Story is 'an important film' that has had 'incredibly positive reaction and fantastic reviews'.Ī spokesman for Showcase Cinemas said: 'The safety of our guests is of the utmost importance. 'It's an important film from one of the UK's most exciting new filmmakers which we're proud to be part of.' He addressed Vue's decision to no longer show the film, captioning the post: '£Bluestorymovie playing in all major cinema chains except Micheal Ward, who plays Marco in Blue Story and starred in Netflix gang series Top Boy, reposted the statement onto his own social media account.īBC Films described the film as an 'outstanding, critically acclaimed debut feature which powerfully depicts the futility of gang violence. 'I pray that we can all learn to live with love and treat each other with tolerance and respect.' 'There were also a few incidents earlier this year with the release of The Joker, it's always unfortunate, but I hope that the blame is placed with the individuals and not an indictment of the film itself. Bluestory is a film about love not violence.
'It's truly unfortunate that a small group of people can ruin things for everybody. He said on Instagram: 'Sending love to all those involved in yesterday's violence at Star City in Birmingham. Blue Story director Andrew Onwubolu, known as Rapman, (left) has said the gang film is about 'love not violence', after seven police officers were injured in a disturbance at a screening (right)
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