While it didn’t have the same cultural momentum and buzz that previous works of his have garnered in the past, Michael Moore’s new doc, titled “Planet of the Humans,” has still found itself a fair bit of controversy. After being posted on YouTube, free of charge, Moore and writer-producer, Jeff Gibbs, said that the film is now a victim of a “blatant act of censorship.”
“Planet of the Humans” was released around Earth Day of this year and has reportedly earned more than 8 million views on YouTube. The new documentary purports that the new green initiatives that are meant to help save the planet and humanity, after fossil fuel consumption and drilling have led to climate change, aren’t nearly as helpful as we think. “Planet of the Humans” puts forth the argument that population growth and other factors are the real issues facing the world and its inhabitants. Moore and Gibbs feel the message has caught the attention of folks who wish to censor the film.
Recently, YouTube pulled “Planet of the Humans” after a copyright claim was lodged against the filmmakers after someone reported that four seconds of footage was used without permission. The filmmakers contend that they’re allowed to utilize the footage due to “fair use” and shouldn’t have been censored.
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Deadline received a statement from the filmmakers, which reads: “This attempt to take down our film and prevent the public from seeing it is a blatant act of censorship by political critics of ‘Planet of the Humans.’ It is a misuse of copyright law to shutdown a film that has opened a serious conversation about how parts of the environmental movement have gotten into bed with Wall Street and so-called ‘green capitalists.’”
Moore and Gibbs said they’re already fighting the copyright claim and hope to have the film back on YouTube. Obviously, the pair hopes that new attention paid to the film will lead to quicker action and resolution. We shall see.
Here is the full statement:
This attempt to take down our film and prevent the public from seeing it is a blatant act of censorship by political critics of Planet of the Humans. It is a misuse of copyright law to shutdown a film that has opened a serious conversation about how parts of the environmental movement have gotten into bed with Wall Street and so-called “green capitalists.” There is absolutely no copyright violation in my film. This is just another attempt by the film’s opponents to subvert the right to free speech.
Opponents of Planet of the Humans, who do not like its critique of the failures of the environmental movement, have worked for weeks to have the film taken down and to block us from appearing on TV and on livestream. Their efforts to subvert free speech have failed, with nearly eight and a half million people already viewing the film on YouTube. These Trumpian tactics are shameful, and their aim to stifle free speech and prevent people from grappling with the uncomfortable truths exposed in this film is deeply disturbing.
PEN America, which was founded in 1922 and fights for the free speech of artists in the U.S. and around the world, came out strongly and denounced the initial attempt to censor this film, and we hope all champions of free expression condemn this act of censorship. We are working with YouTube to resolve this issue and have the film back up as soon as possible.”