Kobe Bryant removed from jury of animated film fest following backlash over 2003 rape allegation
Former NBA star Kobe Bryant was supposed to spend this weekend on the jury of the Animation Is Film Festival in L.A., but those plans have changed.
Festival organizers removed Bryant, the executive producer and writer of last year’s Oscar-winning animated short, Dear Basketball, after receiving backlash over a 2003 sexual assault allegation against him. In December of that year, Bryant was charged with raping an employee of the Colorado hotel where he was staying. The charge was dropped in September 2004 after the alleged victim refused to testify.
Bryant said he had sex with the woman but insisted that it was consensual. He later apologized to her, and in March 2005, the two settled a civil lawsuit that she brought against him.
The allegations came back up when Bryant won an Oscar and then again last week when someone started a Change.org petition — which more than 140 people have signed — to remove Bryant from the film festival jury.
“On its website ‘Animation Is Film’ specifically states one of their primary purposes is to champion and support women filmmakers. It’s time to turn these words into action,” the petition reads. “This is an urgent time to say NO to toxic and violent behavior against women. For this reason, we ask that GKIDS, Variety & Annecy take a stand in support of women. Keeping Kobe Bryant on the jury sets a precedent of lenience for sexual criminals and further undermines the visibility and respect that victims of harassment and assault deserve.”
And Bryant was taken off the list of jurors. Animation Is Film did not respond to Yahoo’s request for comment. Eric Beckman, the CEO of GKIDS, the animation company behind the event, gave a statement to Variety.
“After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury,” Beckman said. “We are a young organization and it is important to keep our collective energies focused on the films, the participating filmmakers, and our festival attendees.”
The former Los Angeles Lakers star gave a statement too.
“I was honored to have been originally invited by Animation is Film to serve on the 2018 Jury, and am disappointed to no longer serve in that capacity. This decision further motivates me and my commitment to building a studio that focuses on diversity and inclusion in storytelling for the animation industry,” Bryant said. “I remain focused on changing the world in positive ways through diverse stories, characters, and leadership, in order to inspire the next generation.”
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