Racist or Good Marketing? DVD Cover for ‘The Sapphires’ Causes Controversy
But the cover art for the U.S. release of the DVD, distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment, has drawn a storm of criticism for the way it relegates the film’s four Aboriginal women actors to the background, their skin tones rendered a muted blue, and places the white male actor who plays their manager in the foreground.
The manager is played by Irish actor Chris O’Dowd, the best known of the film’s actors, who has a rising profile in Hollywood on the back of performances in hits including “Bridesmaids.”
On the cover of the Australian release of the DVD, O’Dowd receives equal prominence with his co-stars, Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Miranda Tapsell and Shari Sebbens.
Anchor Bay Entertainment said in a statement that it “regrets any unintentional upset” caused by the DVD, which was released in the U.S. Tuesday.
“New cover art is being considered for future replenishment orders,” the statement said.
The cover art had sparked a social media backlash and drawn nearly 17,000 signatures to an online petition urging Anchor Bay Entertainment to repackage the film.
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