ON SCREEN: A still from The Red Pill (2016), a documentary that chronicles American filmmaker Cassie Jaye's journey following the mysterious and polarizing Men's Rights Movement (MRAs).

ON SCREEN: A still from The Red Pill (2016), a documentary that chronicles American filmmaker Cassie Jaye's journey following the mysterious and polarizing Men's Rights Movement (MRAs).

FRIDAY 4.15pm: NIMBIN Bush Theatre owner David Hyett says the issues portrayed in The Red Pill "are in need of public airing."

Speaking from Nimbin, Mr Hyett said the screening is an important exercise of free speech.

Why has the Nimbin Bush Theatre decided to screen this film?

The Nimbin Bush Theatre decided to show the film The Red Pill primarily because of our belief in free speech and open dialogue.

Many of the issues depicted in the film are in need of public airing.

Patrons who are interested in seeing the film, experience the event with other interested theatre goers having the opportunity to participate in discussion prior to and after the film.

Are you expecting any backlash against the venue?

I believe Nimbin Bush Theatre patrons are very open to societal analysis and will welcome the opportunity to assess the content of the film whilst respecting the theatres role in providing material for review.

Has there been any increase in sales for the screening?

Pre-sales of ticket at this point are minimal, but Nimbin Theatre goers are notorious at just showing up on the night. If we sell out it is our intention to also show the film again.

FRIDAY 1.30pm: IF YOU thought you were going to be able to watch The Red Pill at home, think again, as Netflix as refused to carry the documentary in the US.

Director Casey Jay confirmed the news a week ago via Twitter:

The #redpillmovie will not be released on Netflix - (see photo for details) pic.twitter.com/hVrYuP2udY — Cassie Jaye (@Cassie_Jaye) May 6, 2017

The decision is not a trend among content distributors, given that all other US and global streaming platforms have agreed to carry the documentary to buy, rent or stream: Amazon, iTunes, Hulu, Vimeo, Google Play and YouTube offer paid versions of the film.

The Red Pill was the most popular pay-per view film on US YouTube on May 7.

The film will screen on May 19 in Nimbin.

FRIDAY 11.35am: JAVIER Encalada has seen The Red Pill. This is his review:

THE son of a single mother, raised by a widower grandmother and living with a powerful single woman as a housemate, I have always seen myself as a strong ally of feminism.

Then I saw The Red Pill.

Do I still call myself a feminist's ally? Sure I do.

Did it change my point of view on feminism? Yes, it did.

There are three things that I loved about this film: it allowed me to see things from a different point of view, it criticised social constructs and values entrenched in today's society, and offered a voice to minorities.

Funny enough, I hated the film for these three same reasons: just because I get to see a different point of view it does not mean I'll accept it as the Gospel, its criticism of feminism was weak and feeble, and allowing minorities to voice their opinion does to equal legitimising them, but it comes close to.

I had issues with the fact the film received funding from Men Rigths' Advocates, but as soon as I held that information, I was able to watch the film from a much better position: let's face it, I have watched many documentaries financed by one side of topic before and it does not change the fact that a good doco will always be informative and entertaining.

The biggest issue is that the film does offer a stern criticism of feminism, and I can see why so many feminists will not be happy about that.

I believe that if the feminist movement does the responsible thing (watch the film, discuss it with a level head, take it for what it is, identifies areas where the movement can be improved and does not scream on the streets to people trying to watch - like we saw yesterday in Sydney - the movement will be stronger than before.

I do believe director Cassie Jaye showed a personal journey, trying to educate herself and immersing herself into a foreign and uncomfortable territory looking for answers outside her comfort zone.

She is far from being a star documentarist and this film shows how much of a novice she was, but that actually adds to the entertaining aspect of the film.

Watch it, make up your mind, agree or disagree, but keep in mind this film is not the propaganda masterpiece that has been hailed to be.

DELICATE SUBJECT: American filmmaker Cassie Jaye documented her journey following the mysterious and polarizing Men's Rights Movement (MRAs).

FRIDAY 11am: THE Red Pill had its world premiere on October 7, 2016 at Cinema Village in New York City.

One-time screenings were also scheduled at various locations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia.

Despite public demonstrations against it at certain locations, the films has been screened peacefully in Australia at a number of locations in Sydney and Adelaide.

Reader poll What do you think of the Nimbin Bush Theatre's decision to screen The Red Pill? This poll ended on 19 May 2017. Current Results They should be applauded for their gusty decision 70% I agree with their decision, and I will see the film 21% I agree with their decision, but I won't see it 3% I wouldn't see it, but I support freedom of choice 1% I disagree, the MRA movement should not be given a voice 1% This film should not be screened anywhere 1% This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

The main reasons the film is controversial are:

The Male Factor

The Red Pill chronicles Cassie Jaye's journey beginning as a skeptical feminist investigating what she believes to be a hate movement.

The main issue with this is that for feminists, the MRA (acronym for Men's Rights Advocate) is nothing but a hate movement.

She goes on to discover that the movement is different from what she expected and begins to question her own views on gender, power, and privilege.

It includes interviews with men's rights activists and those supportive of the movement, such as Paul Elam, founder of A Voice for Men; Harry Crouch, president of the (US) National Coalition for Men; Warren Farrell, author of The Myth of Male Power; and Erin Pizzey, who started the first domestic violence shelter in the modern world.

It also includes interviews with feminists critical of the movement, such as Ms magazine executive editor Katherine Spillar, and sociologist Michael Kimmel.

Controversial topics

The film discusses numerous controversial issues as topics faced by men and boys, such as male suicide rates, workplace fatalities and high-risk jobs, false allegations of rape, military conscription, lack of services for male victims of domestic violence and rape, higher rates of violent victimization, issues concerning divorce and child custody, disparity in criminal sentencing, disproportionate funding and research on men's health issues, educational inequality, societal tolerance of misandry, and men's lack of reproductive rights.

Funding

According to the film's Wikipedia page, Director Cassie Jaye initially struggled to find financiers who did not have 'an agenda.'

Jaye got the film off the ground with her own money as well as money from her mother, a co-producer, and her boyfriend.

After it became known that the film would not condemn the men's rights movement, Jaye was unable to find funding to cover the cost of the movie from traditional sources.

She instead started a campaign on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, which she called a last resort.

The Kickstarter project promised to be a "fair and balanced" look at the men's rights movement.

The effort was strongly criticized by some feminists but received support from former Breitbart News columnist Milo Yiannopoulos.

Although not part of the film, Mr Yiannopoulos resigned from the hard-right news site Breitbart News after a video surfaced in which he made remarks that appeared to condone sex between grown men and underage boys.

In the end, the campaign exceeded its goal of $97,000 as well as two stretch goals to raise a total of $211,260.

Alan Scherstuhl's review for the Houston Press suggested that many of those providing funding for the film may have themselves been men's rights activists, thereby creating a conflict of interest.

Jaye has said that the suggestion the film was funded by MRAs is "a common lie that keeps spreading."

One of the largest pledges to the film was by Mike Cernovich, who pledged $10,000 to the Kickstarter project.

In a blog post he stated he was "not funding The Red Pill to help MRAs" but that the film will "help all men, and all women, and all children."

Jaye stated that "our five highest backers ... are neither MRA nor feminist. I would say three out of five of them didn't even know about the men's rights movement, but wanted to defend free speech," and that the film's backers and producers would have no influence or control of the film.

ON SCREEN: A still from The Red Pill (2016), a documentary that chronicles American filmmaker Cassie Jaye's journey following the mysterious and polarizing Men's Rights Movement (MRAs).

THURSDAY 7.45pm: A DOCUMENTARY film that has been banned in cinemas and caused public demonstrations and violence at a screening in Sydney tonight will be showing in Nimbin next week.

The Red Pill (2016) chronicles American filmmaker Cassie Jaye's journey following the mysterious and polarising Men's Rights Movement (MRAs).

The Red Pill, rated M, is introduced to audiences as exploring "today's gender war" and asking the question "what is the future of gender equality?"

Among the issues the film touches on are male suicide rates, workplace fatalities, sexual assault, family court and custody issues.

Reader poll What do you think of the Nimbin Bush Theatre's decision to screen The Red Pill? This poll ended on 19 May 2017. Current Results They should be applauded for their gusty decision 70% I agree with their decision, and I will see the film 21% I agree with their decision, but I won't see it 3% I wouldn't see it, but I support freedom of choice 1% I disagree, the MRA movement should not be given a voice 1% This film should not be screened anywhere 1% This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

The film is scheduled to be screened at the Nimbin Bush Theatre on Friday, May 19, at 7.30pm. Entry is $10.

The Red Pill

This is a controversial film that explores gender inequality from a unique perspective.

When feminist Cassie Jaye sets out to document the Men's Rights Movement, she begins to question her own beliefs.

Jaye had only heard about the Men's Rights Movement as being a misogynist hate-group aiming to turn back the clock on women's rights, but when she spends a year filming the leaders and followers within the movement, she learns the various ways men are disadvantaged and discriminated against.

The Red Pill is touted to challenge the audience to pull back the veil, question societal norms, and expose themselves to an alternate perspective on gender equality, power and privilege.

WARNING: ADULT THEMES AND STRONG LANGUAGE

Cassie Jaye has said her hope for this film is to educate audiences,

"My hope for this film is to educate audiences on the issues that face men and boys in our society today and analyse why the current gender discussion is not fully inclusive," she said.

"I don't have all of the answers, but I believe the first step in the right direction is asking the uncomfortable questions.

"I know this film may cause visceral reactions in some people, but I now believe that if you aim to understand, you will never be offended."

But offend it did.

Reactions

Earlier tonight, NSW Police had to intervene when demonstrators tried to stop the screening in Sydney, according to Triple J's Hack program.

Last month, the University of Sydney Student Union announced it had banned showing the film on union premises, ahead of a planned screening on May 4 organised by the three conservative student groups.

"The Red Pill is purported to be a film which highlights issues specific to men in our society," the USU said in a statement.

ON SCREEN: A still from The Red Pill (2016), a documentary that chronicles American filmmaker Cassie Jaye's journey following the mysterious and polarizing Men's Rights Movement (MRAs).

"The USU is obviously supportive of efforts to bring awareness to, and to combat, issues such as the higher suicide rate for men than women.

The USU said the film was "rooted in an ideology which ultimately dehumanises women, seeing them merely as sex objects who exist primarily to purposefully negatively impact the lives of men", saying it had the "capacity to intimidate and physically threaten women on campus".

"Most dangerously, the film features commentary from Men's Rights Activist Paul Elam, who has claimed that young women '[have] the equivalent of a 'I'm a stupid, conniving bitch - please rape me' neon sign glowing above their empty little narcissistic heads' and that if he were to serve on a jury in a case related to sexual assault, he would find a male defendant not guilty even in the face of contrary evidence," the USU said.

Dendy Cinemas also banned the film nation-wide.

According to News.com.au, a sold-out April 26 session at Dendy Newtown for The Red Pill, was cancelled, and a session scheduled for Dendy Canberra on May 17 won't go ahead.

The showings were organised by cinema crowdsourcing website FanForce.

Last November, Kino Palace Cinemas in Melbourne cancelled the Australian premiere of the film after a Change.org petition calling on the chain to ditch the "misogynistic propaganda film" attracted more than 2000 signatures.

"[At] the time of accepting the booking ... we were unaware of the content of the film. Although we are yet to see it, we have since become aware of the controversial nature of the documentary," Palace wrote in a letter to Men's Rights Melbourne.

News.com.au said last week that there have been a handful of screenings in Australia so far, including one in Brisbane which organisers said was held at a "secret" venue "to avoid the feminist establishment harassing staff".

The Nimbin Bush Theatre has confirmed it will be presenting the film "in the spirit of defying censorship."

"If you do not agree with an opinion does it mean that opinion can not be heard?

"We aim to support both our men and our women and the first step is an open and honest discussion," The Nimbin Bush Theatre said in a statement to the media when announcing the screening.

For details visit the Nimbin Bush Theatre's website.