Paul Schrader Says ‘Master Gardener’ Was Rejected by TIFF Due to ‘Racism’

Paul Schrader’s new film “Master Gardener” is now out in theaters. It’s probably the weakest film of his trilogy which began with “First Reformed” and “The Card Counter.” Still, it’s worth a look for Schrader’s daring story.

The film stars Joel Edgerton as a former white supremacist who now works as a gardener on a large estate. The film premiered at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival, reviews have been mixed, but Schrader’s rebellious vision continues on.

In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Schrader actually admits that the Toronto International Film Festival rejected the film based on bogus reasons:

Cameron Bailey, who runs the Toronto Film Festival, had issues with it. They wouldn’t accept it. He said he couldn’t put a film in the festival that treats racism so lightly. The film deals with racism, but it doesn’t really deal with racism. It doesn’t really deal with white supremacism. Certainly, it doesn’t really deal with gardening. It deals with the journey of a soul.

Schrader believes artistic expression is key to human existence. Preventing audiences from seeing any films that might “trigger” a certain type of person is counterintuitive to the point and reasoning of cinema’s existence:

“Movies don’t always have to say, ‘this is the way it is. They can sometimes ask, ‘could there be another way?’ That is a way film can exercise the mind and the imagination. And the garden, of course, is the oldest fable we have. We were born there, and we would still be there if it wasn’t for that snake.”

I wrote on 01.30.23:

Today, the cultural climate is allergic to cinematic gambles. Movies now try to “coddle” audiences, rather than provoking them with something vitally original. Today’s independent filmmakers are also absolutely terrified by our current cultural climate.

Now, everything is being placed under a “microscope of scrutiny.” Festivals — once the utopia of provocative, button-pushing films — are desperate to avoid controversy.

This idea that “we can't upset anybody” is leading to some very strange shifts in artistic expression. Self censorship is a thing. Fear of backlash leads to this outcome. Remember, the infamous Hays Code was not a government creation either, it was internal industry self-censorship that the major film companies worked out by themselves, yet it still got enforced pretty much like a law for over 30 years.

It used to be a badge of honor for a director to have their film embroiled in controversy, sparking lively debate about the work and promoting artistic free speech in the process. Today, nobody wants to even come near that territory. They fear, rather than try to be feared. That’s where we’re at.

“Master Gardener” is now playing in theaters.