Controversy erupts as the screening of a documentary film about the Amway company is called off, due to a court ban imposed on the movie. Some call it preventive censorship.
Click on the audio icon to listen to a report by Joanna Najfeld
"Amway, welcome to life!" is a documentary showing the launch of the corporation on the Polish market in 1990s, shortly after the fall of communism. According to the film authors, it "reveals a number of Amway's secrets, including violations of Polish law."
The film, waited to be screened at Warsaw Film Festival for twelve consecutive editions, never successfully. This is because Amway obtained a court ban on the film, preventing its release. Film authors were repeatedly sued by Amway, and although they were cleared of disseminating untrue information, the acquittal did not enable the ban on the film to be revoked, so it has remained in force for 12 years now.
In a special press release, Warsaw Film Festival director Stefan Laudyn wrote that "Welcome to life" is a "scary movie about brainwashing at a direct selling company". Oscar-winning composer Jan A. P. Kaczmarek, member of the jury of Warsaw Film Festival called the event censorship and violation of democracy. The Amway press office was not available for comment.