Grands Rule.jpg

A promotional poster for the movie "Grands Rule."

(Courtesy | Anthony Williams)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - A judge has denied a temporary restraining order requested by a Northeast Side apartment complex against the screening of a locally-made movie, which the complex claims makes its property look like a "haven" for drugs, sex and violence.

The owner of Oakview Apartments, 1457 Burke Ave. NE, filed the complaint, listing Michael Styles Films LLC, local promoter Anthony Williams and Wealthy Theatre as defendants. The movie, titled "Grands Rule," is scheduled for two showings on Friday, Feb. 27, 2015 at Wealthy Theatre.

Oakview officials claim the filmmakers did not request permission to film on private property, and asked that all scenes shot there be removed from the movie, according to documents filed in Kent County Circuit Court. The filing claims that Oakview will "suffer irreparable harm" if the movie shows publicly, adding that resources have been expended to improve the apartment complex, which consists of 268 units, as "a quality residential community."

Court documents include photo stills from the movie trailer depicting scenes filmed on the Oakview property.

Oakview's motion was denied Feb. 16, 2015, because the request for the restraining order "runs headlong into the First Amendment to the United States Constitution."

Oakview subsequently filed a motion for reconsideration. "The Court may have misconstrued the nature of this action," the filing reads, emphasizing it as a trespass case.

"Plaintiff's complaint is not about them using a public forum; it is about using Plaintiff's private property," according to the motion, filed Feb. 17. It also requests expidited consideration for a show cause hearing for injunctive relief prior to the screenings.

The movie is still scheduled to show Feb. 27, according to Wealthy Theatre director Erin Wilson.

Williams said he and the movie's director, Michael Styles, are willing to work with Oakview to comply with its requests, possibly by blurring any backgrounds featuring any of the complex's identifiable markers.

He also claimed the filmmakers received permission from an Oakview employee to shoot the movie on the property.

"There aren't any signs (identifying the complex as Oakview) in the movie or anything like that," Williams said. "We're down to do what they want us to do."

Wilson said he's made himself available to Oakview owners, to encourage communication with the film producer, and suggest ways the film could be edited.

"If there are any concerns with the content at the theater, I'd make myself available," he said. "We've tried to broker communication between the producer and the owner of the complex. At a certain point, it's really between them."

Although the trailer features R-rated scenes, Williams defended the movie's content, saying although it features scenes with sex, drugs and guns, the actions aren't glorified, and the movie ultimately contains a positive message about gang violence. He said making the movie has opened up discussions about gang violence, and the screenings will include a talk by his father, a pastor, on the topic.

"(The Oakview owners) don't know the true message behind it," Williams said. "It was inspired by one of my cousins who died in gang violence. People don't really know my angle, where I'm trying to come from."

"Grands Rule" was filmed in four days in December 2014, according to Williams. Filmmakers contracted the use of Wealthy Theatre for the two showings, which have sold "less than 300" tickets, according to Williams.

Williams said the court document stating that 1,000 tickets had been sold is incorrect, admitting the number was fabricated as a means to hype up the screenings. He added that there are no plans to show the movie publicly again until the conflict is resolved.

Oakview has been the location of real-life violence, including shootings in 2011 and in 2014, and a stabbing in 2013.

"That's the big thing," Williams said. "Stuff like that does happen in that area. That's the problem. That's the area we all grew up in.

"The movie was not made to degrade anyone or any locations," he said. "It has a positive message about street life. We don't glorify that. People are dying, losing their lives. That's the main message behind the movie."