Italian distributors apologize for highlighting white actors in ‘slave’ posters
The Italian distributor of the film “12 Years a Slave” has issued an apology for promotional posters depicting white actors as the stars of the film.
The posters featured Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender, despite their relatively minor roles, and not the film’s star Chiwetel Ejiofor.
BIM Distribuzione said in a statement Monday the “inappropriate materials have now been withdrawn” and expressed “regret any distraction this incident may have caused.” BIM said the new posters feature only Ejiofor, who has been nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of a freed black man who is abducted and sold into slavery.
The distributor said the posters featuring Pitt and Fassbender were aimed at “giving wide representation of what is told in the film itself.”
The film by director Steve McQueen opens in February in Italy.
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