BREAKING NEWS: Catholic League Attacks Sundance Fanning Rape Film Hounddog

[Posted by Gregg Goldstein] In advance of the Monday night Sundance debut screening of Hounddog (aka "The Dakota Fanning Project”), which contains a graphic scene of Fanning (who was 12 at the time) being raped, the Catholic League is calling for a federal investigation of possible child pornography, the biggest controversy to explode to date at the festival:

Federal Probe of Child Rape Film Needed

New York, Jan. 18 /Catholic Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue explains why he wants a federal investigation of the upcoming movie, "Hounddog," to see if federal child pornography laws were violated during the shootings:

"The Sundance Film Festival opens today, and on January 22 a film starring 12-year-old actress Dakota Fanning will debut. The movie, 'Hounddog,' is described in the current edition of Premiere magazine as featuring 'a devastating rape by an older boy.' On January 16, Allan Colmes on 'Hannity and Colmes' said, 'In the film, 12-year-old Fanning plays a sexually promiscuous character who's physically abused by her father and eventually raped on screen in a violently graphic scene.' Canada's Globe and Mail said today of Fanning, 'her character is violently raped and appears, at different times, either naked or in underpants.' Other sources say it is uncertain whether a mutual masturbation scene featuring other minors will be shown.

"It is unclear whether federal child pornography statutes have been broken in the course of filming this movie. It matters not a whit whether Fanning's mother, along with Fanning's teacher/child welfare worker, gave their consent. What matters is whether they are an accessory to a crime. Accordingly, I am asking Andrew Oosterbaan, Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section within the Department of Justice's Criminal Division, to investigate this matter. Federal statutes on child pornography define a minor as anyone younger than 18; Fanning is a pre-teen. I am also writing to First Lady Laura Bush requesting her assistance in this endeavor. In today's New York Times, it says that Mrs. Bush, along with the First Ladies from France, Russia and Egypt, met yesterday 'to discuss the fight against child pornography and pedophilia.'

"For the past five years, there has been a steady drumbeat of criticism aimed at the Catholic Church for allowing sexual abuse of minors to continue with impunity. Much of that criticism was right on target. Let's see now whether Hollywood will be held to the same level of scrutiny for promoting simulated child rape movies."

The press release went on to give Oosterbaan’s email address.

The Hounddog filmmakers have stated the filming of the scene was done with care and concern for Fanning, whose character is raped by an older youth. According to one Sundance Film Festival official who has seen the feature, only a shot of Fanning’s face is shown onscreen. According to attorney Linda Lichter, who is selling the film at Sundance, the people who are criticizing the film "haven't seen the movie" and the Catholic League's accusations "are not true." Lichter denies that Fanning appears nude in the film. Responding to the accusation that she appears in underwear, "she does appear in tank top and shorts, but it's not a provocative costume. There are no child pornography issues with this film whatsoever." Lichter says that the film "was done extremely sensitively." As to the accusation that there's a mutual masturbation scene, Lichter wasn't sure if the filmmakers have included such material in the final edit to be screened Monday night.

Developing...

Comments

[Peter]

The film is sure to sell now.

[Reena]

oh my...i would have to see the film before i could comment on this issue...

[otto]

Would it be too much to ask that we actually see the movie before condemning it? From what I understand, the only thing we see of Dakota during the rape scene is a close up of her face. Then again, I haven't actually seen the movie so I can't honestly comment on it. But I do find it very disturbing that so many have chosen to condemn it without knowing the actual facts.

So a question for movies in general - many movies have depicted bad things happening to children including abuse, neglect, hunger, bullying, murder, etc. Rape may be horrible, but so are these. For example, in Schindler's List Ralph Fiennes brutally murders children in cold blood on screen. In Hide in Seek, psyhotic Robert DeNiro murders his wife at the beginning of the movie, then attempts to kill his daughter (portrayed by Dakota Fanning) at the end of the movie. I would think that Dakota's character in this movie would be just as traumatized by her father attempting to kill her, as her character in Hounddog being raped. But did either Schindler's List or Hide and Seek spark such an outrage? I don't think so.

So is it just rape being portrayed in a movie specifically that raises objections, or should anything horrible happening to a child not be depicted in a movie?

[Tom Trudell]

It's not only what happened on-screen but, as important, what must have happened during
the "taking" has to be viewed as child abuse, child exploitation and child pornography. The backgrounds of those involved should be scrutinized in order to
expose any possible "sympathies" that may
exist for the likes of NAMBLA, PLANNED PARENTHOOD'S agenda, etc.

[vale]

no hay que ser tan envidiosos del exito ajeno!!! la niña es una genia y actrizzzzz, acaso esa palabra nos dice algo????? habria que preocuparse mas por los niños que realmente sufren esa violencia. algunos siguen pensando que " de eso no se habla" y asi estamos.