Late last year, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sarah Polley made a 2-minute short film called The Heart, for The Heart and Stroke Foundation's healthy living campaign. Starring Sarah Manninen and Jean-Michel Le Gal, the film follows a "woman through phases of her life" as she "explores the chambers of her heart." Now that the short is just a few days away from release -- slated to air on the Canadian station CTV during the Academy Award ceremony -- The Globe and Mail reports that Polley is removing her name from the title credits after the discovery that it's being used to promote Becel margarine.
It is not clear what, if any, knowledge Polley had about Becel's ties to the foundation (the Globe says they commissioned the film), but according to her press release, she "... was thrilled, as I was proud to be associated with the work of this incredible organization." "However, I have since learned that my film is also being used to promote a product. Regretfully, I am forced to remove my name from the film and disassociate myself from it." Polley explained that she "never actively promoted any corporate brand, and cannot do so now."
Considering just how many moviegoers and fans get irked by product placement, and the ever-increasing ties between product marketing and moviemaking, it's pretty cool to see a filmmaker put principles over complacency. Then again, this is not a surprise. This is the girl who, as a pre-teen, stood up to Disney when they were against their Road to Avonlea star wearing a peace sign to protest the first Gulf War
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