Shiraz Higgins, also known as “Sid Mohammed” told the Canadian broadcaster CBC, on Wednesday that he had feared death threats at an email account he created with his false name.
“I’ve been wanting to have a layer of safety between me and angry citizens in order to keep the tension from being completely locked in on me,” the mixed-race director said. He admitted he used the pseudonym in an interview with The Canadian Press a day earlier.
“I feel bad that it’s clearly made some people upset and that it has undermined the overall message that we’re sending out here,” said Higgins, who is the director of “Building the Room”.
But Higgins insisted “adaptations” to better reflect the reality of prices might not change. He said that at the premiere of his movie their “justice-pricing” model to charge white males $15, while others pay $10, will be in force.
He denied that the policy was about “retribution or putting white men in their place or something like”.
It is based on the purchasing power of individual groups and “price discrimination” he explained. He said organisers were “pushing forward because we believe it is an important piece of overall conversation that is happening in society right now”.
Higgins has had support from a few women who said they paid more for goods and services than men, including hair cuts and hygienic and cosmetic products. But Chelsea Lou is the only female out of seven personalities featured in his film, said she now has security concerns about the premiere event.
“I’m not even sure I will go,” said Lou, who was not consulted about Higgins’ “justice pricing” scheme.
The Blue Bridge Theatre Society, owner of the 225-seat Roxy Theatre where the premiere is scheduled for this weekend, is refusing to sell the newly priced tickets through their system.
Tickets would not be sold through the Blue Bridge box office system and neither ticket prices nor policies governing them have been established by the society, general manager Rebekah Johnson pointed out in an email.
“Blue Bridge was not at any time consulted regarding these policies and, had it been, would not have agreed, nor will it ever agree, to policies that are discriminatory towards any person,” Johnson said.
“While we deny any responsibility for the polices by the organisers of event, we are deeply regretful for any offence the polices may cause,” the statement said.