Cinema Libre Studios is no stranger to distributing controversial films but the response to its latest release, “Vaxxed: From Cover-up to Catastrophe” has taken talk to a whole other level. The Burbank studio has seen the film accepted and then pulled from two film festivals due to outside pressure over the documentary’s message that there is a link between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism. The film also alleges the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention destroyed evidence supporting that connection. “This is a whole different animal as far as people pushing to not even let the film be seen,” said Richard Castro, chief operating officer and vice president of distribution. “Vaxxed” began to draw media attention in late March after the Tribeca Film Festival in New York included the film on its schedule. Festival co-founder Robert DeNiro, who has an autistic child, then reversed that decision, saying in a statement he and the festival team did not believe “it contributes to or furthers the discussion I had hoped for.” The WorldFest-Houston Film Festival announced April 6 it was pulling the film from its lineup. According to the Houston Chronicle, festival Director Hunter Todd said that sponsors threatened to pull their financial support if the screening of “Vaxxed” took place. Other festivals and theaters have not been so timid about showing the film. The Silver Springs International Film Festival, in Ocala, Fla., included “Vaxxed” in its lineup on April 10. The Manhattan International Film Festival will screen the film on April 24. In the Los Angeles area, “Vaxxed” is screening in a limited run at the Laemmle Monica Film Center in Santa Monica through April 21. Cinema Libre, founded in 2003 and originally located in Canoga Park, was chosen as distributor by Del Bigtree, one of the producers. He knew the company was not afraid to take on controversial films, Castro said. In fact, films like “Vaxxed” is what Cinema Libre is known for. Previous controversial releases include “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism” and “Uncovered: The War on Iraq” both from 2004. “If a film has information in it that we feel the public should have a right to be exposed to, we like to champion that kind of film,” Castro said. “Our mission is to simply get people to think about an issue in a different way.” It’s not just the subject matter in “Vaxxed” that has raised the ire of opponents. The director, Andrew Wakefield, has been advocating a link between vaccinations and autism since the late 1990s, and in 2010 was banned from practicing medicine in his native Britain by the General Medical Council for ethical lapses although he had already abandoned his practice several years earlier. In interviews, Wakefield has said the film is not anti-vaccine. Castro, too, said the film is not against vaccinations but states there needs to be more research on the link with autism. As of now, there are about 15 cities where “Vaxxed” is booked to play and that number could go as high as 100, including cities with one-night only screenings, Castro said. Home entertainment and video-on-demand release is scheduled for mid-July. Castro said that he’s been receiving on average about 50 emails a day from people asking where and when they can see the film. “I know there is an audience out there, it’s just a matter of bringing the film to them,” he added. Pizza Prank Comedy sketch duo Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox pranked two young fans on April Fool’s Day at the PizzaRev location in Northridge. Padilla and Hecox perform under the name SMOSH and air their videos on YouTube to a subscriber base of more than 21 million. The pair had received a letter from Northridge resident Andrea Michaels about her grandsons, Cameron and Ethan, who are fans of SMOSH videos. So Padilla and Hecox teamed up with Prank It Fwd, an organization started by Break.com to make videos of good-natured pranks for people deserving a surprise. With Padilla and Hecox hiding in the back on the restaurant and watching via video, the SMOSH team greeted Ethan and Cameron to make their pizzas. When brought to the boys, one pizza was covered with candy while the second was made with steak and shrimp. The boy’s grandmother (who was in on the prank) asked to speak with a manager and that was when Padilla and Hecox came out to meet them. “It was truly rewarding to see Cameron and Ethan’s faces light up when they realized they were being ‘pranked’ by SMOSH,” Nicholas Eckerman, president of Westlake Village-based PizzaRev, said in a statement. “We were happy to be a part of such an entertaining and meaningful experience for two of our biggest fans.” Staff Reporter Mark R. Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or [email protected].