The Last American Freak Show is a documentary about people celebrating their disabilities and embracing the concept of the freak has caused a bit of a storm when Bafta backed out of screening the world premier. As explained in this report from The Guardian:

Bafta has been drawn into a bitter row with the organisers of a disability film festival after refusing to screen a documentary about a group of disabled artists touring America.

The film-maker behind The Last American Freak Show admits his road movie-style documentary featuring performers unafraid to flaunt their disability is challenging, but says he is furious with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for backing out of a decision to hold a joint screening.

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Organisers of X'08, the eighth London international disability film festival, had initially approached Bafta to use rooms at its Piccadilly headquarters to round off the four-day event, which begins next Thursday, with a best of the festival screening and gala dinner. According to festival co-director Peter Kinkead, Bafta then suggested making it a joint event.

Kinkead said Bafta wanted a proposal for a specific film screening. "I thought The Last American Freak Show was perfect. It's by a British disabled director who used his own finance. It's 90 minutes long. It's never been seen anywhere. It would be a world premiere."

The film, which is not yet completely finished, is perhaps not an easy watch. "Yes it's a bit raw, yes it's a bit in your face, yes there are some distasteful scenes, but nothing too bad," said Kinkead.

He said Corinna Downing, Bafta's head of events, had felt uncomfortable after watching it, and asked for a different film to be screened.

He said: "This film is about disabled people reclaiming their identity. They are proud to be freaks

Amen!!

The details of the film:

Disabled film-maker Richard Butchins spent more than 10 weeks following six disabled and four able-bodied people who toured the US by bus as a carnival freakshow. The result is a road movie-style documentary, The Last American Freak Show. It follows the troupe as they perform in bars, small theatres and colleges. The group includes Erik the gentle giant, Dame Demur the dancing dwarf and Ken "Peg Leg"

Or the Butchins blurb which sounds about eight times more fun:

I filmed the elephant man, the dwarf, a giant, a pair of lobster people, the half woman, a clown and a jumble of jug band musicians. On tour in a 20 year old school bus, travelling 2500 miles across America, the 'freaks' worked their way through the wild west. Laughing, crying and drinking – a carnival of the damned – searching for a home

You can read much more on Richard's blog where he details his thinking about this and the whole business about the Baftas as well as the problems with getting the story out into the mainstream media. There is plenty of good stuff there: How this project came about:

The back-story to this film is that I wanted to make a film about the history of the freak show. I was interested in the idea that physical deformity is so uncomfortable to ‘normal’ people that disabled people have historically and traditionally been shut away and isolated. The exception being the Circus sideshows and ‘freak shows’ where deformities both real and constructed were shown to a gawping and gullible public. Until about 1940 the ‘freak show’ was very popular, but surely it was no more - we live in a far more enlightened age. Whilst researching the ‘freak show’ a friend in LA told me he’d heard of a new travelling freak show and that I should check it out. I knew about the static side shows on Coney Island etc but the idea that some-one had resurrected a travelling freak show was immensely intriguing. I had to know more.

I'll finish up with a bit about complaints that his film wasn't a "disability empowering movie" when it could be argued that is exactly what it is:

Go figure, a bunch of freaks decide to celebrate diversity in a way of their own choosing, why that will never do. It would seem that they are only allowed to act in ways deemed appropriate by the able bodied, they after all know whats best… Well, not surprisingly, I and the members of the freak show would seek to disagree. It’s largely the only time that some members of the troupe get any kind of positive reaction from people. Ken the elephant man for example draws only reactions of distaste in the street, at least on stage he can let people see that he’s an intelligent and lovely man. It’s the one time they can be themselves and not have to hide their disability or ignore the stares and glares of the so called normal people in society (whatever normal is ?). It’s not the disability that stops them functioning successfully in society but the barriers and prejudices that society places in front of them that causes the problems.

Here is the trailer:

While I am unsure smoking weed does make you a better driver, I saw let your freak flag fly.

I mean what is wrong with video of a clown pissing fire? OK the occasional singed "tip" but really it is a price worth (someone else) paying.

Hopefully, the publicity this all generates will get this far more attention than a screening in some side room at a glitzy award ceremony. It has certainly guaranteed this bum on a seat anyway.