More Questions Surround Shreveport Urban Film Festival [VIDEO]
101.7 / 710 KEEL's Robert J Wright and Erin McCarty look into the recent vote by the Shreveport City Council to award $10,000 to Tanesha Morris and the Shreveport Urban Film Festival despite the festival's for-profit status and official rules, which now exclude all entrants besides African-Americans and why the request for funds was made so close to the festival date. Start video at 1:24:32
Another controversy surrounding the festival, scheduled for Saturday, July 28, is the seeming, last minute, changes to the rules.
From the festival site's official rules Friday, July 13 about 8:30am:
But by 5pm the rules - particularly the first rule - had changed:
For the festival to receive the $10,000 grant, a fiscal agent must be secured, as well as non-profit status. Mayor Ollie Tyler can also veto the giveaway, which could be overturned by a five-vote majority council vote.