British Film Institute to no longer finance films featuring evil characters with facial scars

The British Film Institute (BFI) has announced that it would no longer fund films featuring facially-scarred villains to extend their support towards the #IAmNotYourVillain campaign, Guardian reported. [caption id=“attachment_5653241” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Heath Ledger played the facially-scarred villain Joker in The Dark Knight. Facebook[/caption] Started by UK charity Changing Faces, the initiative aims to abolish discrimination against people with visible differences, such as a mark or scar, and intends destigmatise facial scars and end the use of “scars, burns or marks as shorthand for villainy." “Film is a catalyst for change and that is why we are committing to not having negative representations depicted through scars or facial difference in the films we fund… This campaign speaks directly to the criteria in the BFI Diversity Standards, which call for meaningful representations on screen." BFI Deputy CEO Ben Roberts said in a statement, urging the rest of the film industry to do likewise. He also cited BFI financed Dirty God, directed and co-written by Sacha Polak, that will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The film narrates the story of an acid attack survivor, which Roberts described as an example of authentic, empathetic and positive portrayal. As per Guardian, Becky Hewitt of Changing Faces said in an interview that films, that use scars as a denoter of evil-doers, have a profound impact on children and young adults.