At this year’s DC Shorts, we have had screenings at noon, at 3pm, 6pm, and 9pm. Of those four, which do you think that people brought kids to?
Tonight’s 9pm show was the one where we screened the more adult-oriented films, especially those that simply wouldn’t be appropriate at 3pm. Silly us, we thought that kids were more likely to show up at the earlier screenings.
The mass exodus from the theatre began about a minute or two after the teabagging scene.
I tend to be libertarian on such matters, and was really peeved when a parent berated me for the content of the show — the entire program of which is available on our website, including the words “graphic content.” But there are a lot of people who want a paternalistic society where they don’t need to think about, oh, reading about what they are taking their kids to see.
Once I was made aware that there were so many kids in the audience, I told their parents that there were no films in tonight’s show that were suitable for children (for that’s what they were, ranging from 7 to 13) and that they shouldn’t go back in.
And yet, later on when the ninja unsheathed the huge dildo, even more kids and their parents emerged.
The rest of the world is not responsible for parenting your children. Please make an effort and pay attention to what events or entertainment you plan to attend with your kids.
An adult-oriented film festival on Saturday night at 9pm probably is worthy of a little more content research.
