The anti-vaccination movement is once again back in the spotlight after it was announced that an anti-vaccination film would premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival next month. Due to increased pressure from the general public and the scientific community, festival organizers made the decision to pull the film from the festival's schedule, and information about it no longer appears on the festival's website.The film in question, "Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe," is directed by former doctor and anti-vaccination activist Andrew Wakefield. Wakefield is most famous for his 1998 study in which he “showed” that vaccines caused autism.
The study was later retracted in 2010 by British medical journal, The Lancet, after it was shown that Wakefield had violated many ethics rules. Wakefield also lost his medical license, and is generally considered to be discredited by the medical community. The festival’s website describes the film as such:
“Digging into the long-debated link between autism and vaccines, 'Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe' features revealing and emotional interviews with pharmaceutical insiders, doctors, politicians, parents, and one whistle-blower to understand what’s behind the skyrocketing increase of autism diagnoses today.”
The film's description, which no longer appears on the festival's website, fails to mention that Wakefield’s claims have been debunked many times, and no other scientific studies have found a link between vaccines and autism. The film was also going to be included in the documentary category, which many felt would give it a sense of authority so that it could deceive people into thinking that the film’s subject matter was curate.
On Friday, the film festival’s official Twitter page responded to this controversy by saying, “Like most film fests, Tribeca is about dialogue and conversation. We present opposing viewpoints without judgement or endorsement.” One of the festival’s founders, actor Robert De Niro, also defended the film. He says that he is not against vaccinations and is not defending the film itself. Rather: “We [De Niro and his wife] believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined." However, following increased public pressure, it was announced late on Saturday that the film would no longer be part of the film festival, with De Niro releasing a statement saying, "My intent in screening this film was to provide an opportunity for conversation around an issue that is deeply personal to me and my family. But after reviewing it over the past few days with the Tribeca Film Festival team and others from the scientific community, we do not believe it contributes to or furthers the discussion I had hoped for."
Mr. De Niro is correct in his later statement: this film is not a discussion; it is a piece of propaganda made by the man that originally created these false claims. The way that the film was being marketed made it seem like it was uncovering some hidden secret that the ones in power didn't want you to see. In reality, this is just plain misinformation and paranoia fuel. The screening of this film could be dangerous as it fuels already increasing paranoia over vaccines.
This paranoia has caused harmful effects such as an increased outbreaks of measles and pertussis (whooping cough). This creates a danger, not just to the kids whose parents choose not to vaccinate, but also to others who may not be vaccinated due to medical reasons, such as compromised immune systems or allergies. A film like this tries to portray vaccines as a sort of “boogeyman” when, in reality, vaccines are one of the reasons we are able to have a higher quality of life. The film festival's organizers made the right decision by refusing to show this documentary, as it would not further any discourse. Rather, it would decrease the credibility of other films in the documentary category.
