“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,” Bryant’s statement reads. “This decision further motivates me and my commitment to building a studio that focuses on diversity and inclusion in storytelling for the animation industry. I remain focused on changing the world in positive ways through diverse stories, characters, and leadership, in order to inspire the next generation.”<doc-sep>Photo : Matt Sayles ( Getty ) Oscar-winning cartoon maker Kobe Bryant was set to be a jury member on this weekend’s second annual Animation Is Film, a Los Angeles-based film festival, but organizers rescinded his invitation after the animation community protested the inclusion of “accused rapist and sexual predator Kobe Bryant.” The news was first reported by Cartoon Brew. Advertisement Bryant won an Oscar this year for his navel-gazing short film Dear Basketball, and through his recently founded Granity Studios, he’s making increased forays into the film world. ESPN recently announced that Bryant and Granity would be producing a second season of Detail, which will feature Peyton Manning, who’s been accused of sexual harassment himself. The animation community doesn’t seem to want to let Bryant use his film company to further rehabilitate his image and try to get everyone to forget that he was accused of raping a 19-year-old hotel worker in 2003, only avoiding a criminal trial verdict by bullying her into silence and later reaching a civil settlement. A petition started on behalf of “women and allies in the animation community” called on organizers GKIDS, Variety, and Annecy to disinvite Bryant, and in doing so, “revoke their complicity in enabling a sexual predator to continue a life without any accountability both as an individual and a celebrity.” GKIDS dropped Bryant yesterday, deleted him from their website, and released the following statement to Cartoon Brew: “After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury. 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.” Advertisement Bryant, who was uninvited because people in the animation community didn’t want to give him a platform because of a serious rape accusation, released a very weaselly statement that only vaguely acknowledges the fact that he was uninvited because people in the animation community didn’t want to give him a platform because of a serious rape accusation. “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. I remain focused on changing the world in positive ways through diverse stories, characters, and leadership, in order to inspire the next generation.” Advertisement Poor Bryant, who still gets to make movies for ESPN and gets flattering write- ups for his pivot to being a business dude.<doc-sep>A past rape accusation against Lakers legend Kobe Bryant caused officials at the Hollywood Animation Is Film Festival to remove the player as a judge for the event. Bryant was scheduled as a juror for the festival after winning an Oscar for the animated short Dear Basketball. But advocates of the #MeToo movement had other ideas and launched a Change.org petition demanding that the player be removed from the festival die to a 2003 rape accusation, CBS Los Angeles reported. “In light of the #MeToo movement, there has been little to no recourse for Kobe Bryant’s actions of sexual assault. We demand that GKIDS, Variety, & Annecy revoke their complicity in enabling a sexual predator to continue a life without any accountability both as an individual and a celebrity,” the petition exclaimed. Bryant said he was disappointed by the move to get him tossed out of the festival. 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,” Bryant said. “This decision further motivates me and my commitment to building a studio that focuses on diversity and inclusion in storytelling for the animation industry. I remain focused on changing the world in positive ways through diverse stories, characters, and leadership, in order to inspire the next generation. The festival was not the only wall Bryant ran into with his film project. Despite winning an Oscar, Bryant was refused admission to the Academy of Motion Picture and Sciences. The committee claimed that Bryant needed “some evidence of a larger career” before being admitted to the Academy. But even with that “explanation,” Bryant’s Oscar win was heavily opposed by the #MeToo movement. Bryant was arrested in 2003 for the sexual assault of a 19-year-old woman at a hotel in Edwards, Colorado. The charges were eventually dropped when the victim refused to testify, and a civil lawsuit was later settled out of court. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.<doc-sep>Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault allegations from 2003 are coming back to haunt him in the #MeToo and Time’s Up era. He recently was removed from the jury at the Animation Is Film Festival after a petition called for his removal. The petition was started by Women and Allies on Change.org and reads: “We, women and allies of the animation community demand that accused rapist and sexual predator Kobe Bryant be removed from the Jury of Animation is Film Festival. In light of the #MeToo movement, there has been little to no recourse for Kobe Bryant’s actions of sexual assault.” They demanded that GKIDS, which produces the event, remove him from the jury citing that one of the fest’s “primary purposes is to champion and support women filmmakers.” Related Story Vanessa Bryant Celebrates Life & Legacy Of Late Husband Kobe Bryant At Basketball Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony “It’s time to turn these words into action,” they added. Eric Beckman, CEO of GKIDS responded to the demands and said in a statement: “After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury.” He added, “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.” According to the petition, Bryant’s name was removed from the website on Friday, but the official announcement of his removal was not released until Wednesday. Bryant responded to the news saying, “This decision further motivates me and my commitment to building a studio that focuses on diversity and inclusion in storytelling for the animation industry. I remain focused on changing the world in positive ways through diverse stories, characters, and leadership, in order to inspire the next generation.” This isn’t the first time Bryant’s past allegations of sexual assault came back to haunt him. Another petition was launched earlier this year when he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. The petition called for him to rescind the nomination, but he ended up winning the Oscar. In 2003, Bryant was arrested and charged with sexual assault. When his accuser refused to testify, the case was dropped and he issued a public apology to the woman.<doc-sep>
Former NBA star and animated filmmaker Kobe Bryant was dropped from a film festival after some protested his inclusion due to a 2003 rape allegation, according to ESPN. Bryant was set to serve on the jury of the animated film festival "Animation Is Film," but his removal was announced Wednesday. "After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury," said Eric Beckman, founder of the company GKIDS which organizes the festival. "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." An online petition had been putting pressure on the festival to separate itself from Bryant. "In light of the #MeToo movement, there has been little to no recourse for Kobe Bryant's actions of sexual assault," the petition read. "We demand that GKIDS, Variety, & Annecy revoke their complicity in enabling a sexual predator to continue a life without any accountability both as an individual and a celebrity." What did Bryant say about the decision? Bryant, who surely hoped to have moved past the controversy over a 15-year-old allegation, expressed disappointment in the decision but did not specifically address the allegation or speak ill of the company. "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 in a statement. "I remain focused on changing the world in positive ways through diverse stories, characters, and leadership, in order to inspire the next generation." About the allegation Bryant, when he was still an NBA player, was accused of rape by a 19-year-old hotel employee in Colorado. Bryant acknowledged that he had sex with the woman, but maintained that it was consensual. The accuser refused to testify against Bryant, so the case was dropped and a civil suit was settled out of court between Bryant and his accuser, while Bryant still maintained his innocence.