World Censors 2007

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31st December Censors Preaching Bollox...

India's moral police don't want to be thought of as moral police

From Deccan Herald see full article

CBFC logo Chairperson of the Indian Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) Sharmila Tagore feels that censorship should not be used for moral policing and preaching.

Though some kind of check was necessary, care should be taken not to stifle entertainment, Sharmila Tagore said.

She said Members of the Board while avoiding to be moral police, should, however, act with great care as they were responsible to the civil society.

India is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-ethnic country, and majority of the people want some kind of censorship, and the government has to take note of that, she said.

29th December		Lost in Beijing...

	Chinese film censors explain secret decision making
	From Google News
	Zhang Hongsen, deputy director-general of China's Film Bureau and a censor himself, gave a rare briefing recently on the inner workings of the country's movie censorship process, which has come under fire from prominent Chinese filmmakers. We're not only concerned about the political aspect of a movie, said Zhang. A movie's style may be problematic. For example, some movies may poorly portray the customs of ethnic minorities . . . some are problematic in their portrayal of the rights of women and children. There are different problems. One of the films that required heavy editing this year was director Li Yu's Lost in Beijing (Ping Guo), a powerful story about the fallout after a Beijing foot massage parlour owner rapes one of his employees from the countryside. Fang Li, the producer of Lost in Beijing, said earlier he was asked to cut scenes depicting sex, dirty streets, gambling, the Chinese national flag, and Beijing's Tiananmen Square. In a recent interview, Fang accused the movie censorship committee of operating in a black box, saying it doesn't give reasons for the cuts it asks for. Zhang said censors target sex and violence because China doesn't have a ratings system. All movies must be suitable for viewing by people of all ages. He said China's movie censorship committee comprises 24 regular members - five Film Bureau officials, including Zhang, and 19 film professionals, including directors, script writers, cinematographers and movie critics and scholars. The committee, whose two-year term ends in May, also includes 13 "special" members who are brought in on a case-by-case basis for specialized issues like minority affairs, religion, law, foreign relations, and women and children's affairs, he said. Zhang, who is 43, said the youngest censor is 40 and none are older than 65.

25th December		Undermining Faith...

	Fighting repressive ban on 3 Philippines films
	From The Inquirer see full article
	The Philippines censor board has provoked two militant lawmakers by banning three films for purportedly casting the Arroyo administration in a negative light. Gabriela Representatives filed a resolution seeking a congressional inquiry into the ban. They alleged that the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) was being used “for political repression.” The complaint referred to the short films Mendiola and A Day in the Life of Gloria Arrovo, and Rights, a compilation of public service announcements on human rights, extrajudicial killings and disappearances. They said in a statement that The MTRCB, banning these movies has proven itself to be an effective tool for the suppression of free speech and expression. National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera, a founding member of the critics’ group, Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, has joined the two legislators’ protest, along with filmmakers Carlitos Siguion Reyna, Anna Isabelle Matutina, Kiri Dalena, Chytz Jimenez and RJ Mabilin. The group said they were disputing the censors’ ruling that Rights contained scenes that undermine faith and confidence [in] the government and duly constituted authorities. It wasn’t true, either, that Mendiola had a tendency to incite rebellion and sedition, the protesters insisted. Neither was the board’s claim, they said, that A Day in the Life of Gloria was libelous and defamatory to the good name and reputation of the President of the Philippines. Meanwhile the ban of the film, Banal, has now been rescinded and it is now rated R-13

22nd December	Update:	Police Censors...

	Thailand passed film classification law
	From Variety see full article
	Thailand's National Legislative Assembly passed the controversial Film Act in a last gasp flurry of bills before a new government is elected. An eight-month-long campaign by local film professionals to end censorship went unheeded. The new law stipulates a rating system which still gives the state the right to ban a movie and prevent its release in the kingdom. The rating system is made up of "P" (films that are of educational value, "G" (suitable for all age groups), and age restricted categories 13,15,18,20. The previously mooted 25 age category did not make the final bill. Notably, the Film Act authorizes the state to forbid the release of movies that undermine or disrupt social order and moral decency, or that might impact national security or the pride of the nation. Another controversial point is the article that sees the country's chief of police join the National Film and Video Committee. Previous drafts of the law did not include the police as members of the rating committee, though historically the police have chaired the film censorship board. To implement the rating system, a supplementary law will have to be written to cover operational aspects. But it's not clear when the system will actually be implemented in Thai theaters.

17th December		Regional Sensitivities...

	India implements regional censorship
	From the Hindu see full article
	Close on the heels of Aaja Nachle controversy, Censor Board authorities have decided to set up more regional centres to address local differences and diversity in the country. Regional offices of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) will soon come up in Guwahati, Cuttack and New Delhi. Films are now widely watched and a lot of controversies tend to crop up due to regional differences in the country. The regional centres will take care to solve the differences before public screening, CBFC chairperson Sharmila Tagore said.

15th December		Singapore Censors Rapped...

	As they produce rap video
	From Google News
	Executives from Singapore's censors, the Media Development Authority have stirred up an online controversy for appearing in a rap video. Yes, yes y'all. We don't stop. Get creative, can do, rock on! the mostly middle-aged executives rap. Dressed in suits, they twirl in time to the beat and make gangster-style hand gestures. The deputy censor is shown in full rap regalia including gold chains, shades and a backwards baseball cap. Another executive appears in red briefs and a caped-crusader-style costume. Since it was posted on the You Tube video-sharing website two weeks ago, the film, which lasts almost five minutes, has generated 60,648 hits and more than 300 comments, many of them negative and filled with expletives. "They call me CEO. Hear me out, everyone," sings the agency's chief executive, Christopher Chia. "My aim: a vibrant media hub for the city." Cassandra Tay, MDA's director of communications, said Wednesday the video was originally prepared for a staff conference, where it was well-received by staff who had not seen their senior management in this light.

7th December		Critical Films Banned in Philippines...

	Undermining the faith of the people on government
	From Bulatlat see full article
	The MTRCB will never allow the propagation of films which carries dissenting views to the current administration, said an independent filmmaker whose work has been banned. The Philippines Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) was criticized anew for censoring two short films created by independent film makers. A Day in the Life of Gloria Arrovo and Sine Patriyotiko’s Mendiola have been rated “X” or banned from public exhibition by the MTRCB. The films are part of an eight-film compilation scheduled to be shown at the Kontra Agos Resistance Film Festival on December 5-11, Indie Sine, Robinson’s Galleria. In an interview, RJ Mabilin, director of A Day in the Life of Gloria Arrovo, said that the MTRCB justified the rating by saying that the films undermine the faith of the people in government. An animation, which got an honorable mention award from this year’s Gawad Cultural Center of the Philippines, A Day in the Life of Gloria ArroVo is a political satire. Mendiola, on the other hand, is a short documentary critical of the Arroyo government’s calibrated preemptive response (CPR). Another short film, Holy Bingo, was initially rated “X” but later got a PG-13 classification. The film, Mabilin said, is critical of the Catholic Church. Mabilin said, It goes to show that there exists institutionalized repression. The MTRCB has the final say whether a film should be viewed or not. It will never allow the propagation of films which carries dissenting views to the current administration. IA Day in the Life of Gloria Arrovo can be viewed via the Youtube since 2005 (www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_x6m_LDryE&feature=related).

2nd December		Lyrics Hit Low...

	Indian censor missed a low caste slur
	From the Gulf Daily News see full article
	Two Indian states have banned a film featuring Bollywood superstar Madhuri Dixit because it allegedly offends low-caste Hindus. North Indian states of Punjab and Haryana banned the screening of Aaja Nachle as the title song of the film in which Dixit - called the "dancing diva" for her graceful moves - plays a choreographer has derogatory and insulting remarks about Dalits. However, India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh lifted the ban following an apology by the film's producer Yash Raj films. The Uttar Pradesh government had objected to what it said was a derogatory reference to cobblers. Yash Raj films said the offending parts have been taken out from prints across the country. It was not our intention to hurt the feelings of any individual or community of our great nation. If we have inadvertently hurt the sentiments of anybody we apologise, said the production house. Censor Board Chairperson Sharmila Tagore also apologised for passing what may have been politically incorrect lyrics. The film is expected to be a big draw as the US-based Dixit returns to the screen after a six-year absence.

27th November		An Interpretation of History...

	Indian censors add disclaimer to Elizabeth
	From the India Info see full article
	Shekhar Kapur’s film Elizabeth: The Golden Age has gone the way of Da Vinci Code. Despite protests from the Catholic Church, it will be released in India on Friday without any cuts, but with a ‘disclaimer’. Church leaders grudgingly agreed to the release with a disclaimer that the movie with an ‘Adult’ certification was an interpretation of history, which is subject to diverse views. The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) secretary general Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes had shot off a letter to Central Censor Board of India chairperson Sharmila Tagore seeking deletion of parts they found objectionable. We had also demanded a disclaimer like in the case of Da Vinci Code that the film is based on fiction, said CBCI spokesperson Father Babu Joseph. He reiterated the charge that the film portrayed the Pope, bishops and the Catholic Church in a poor light….like perpetrators of all kinds of crime. Father Joseph said interpretation of history can be done in several way…this is not certainly THE history. The Catholic Church also feels that the film is blatantly pro-Protestant and that it would further accentuate the Catholic-Protestant divide. The Church is not happy with the ‘disclaimer’ though. The disclaimer is a joke. What is the use of a disclaimer after showing all that is objectionable? The ideal thing is not produce such films, said Joseph Dias of the Catholic Secular Forum.

21st November		Can't Bully the Censor...

	New Zealand censor publishes annual report
	From Scoop see full article The 2007 Annual Report can be downloaded from www.censorship.govt.nz See also the whinges of nutters from the Society For Promotion Of Community Standards
	The 2007 Annual Report of the Office of Film and Literature Classification was tabled in New Zealand's Parliament last week The Office classified more material than ever before, largely due to an increase in the number of submissions from law enforcement agencies. It made decisions on 2,762 publications in 2006/07, six per cent more than in 2005/06. The Office banned 14% of the publications it classified, restricted 74%, and classified 12% as unrestricted. The largest proportion of banned material dealt with the sexual exploitation of children. [Note this is down to censors checking material seized by the police, it is not material submitted with view to commercial distribution] Chief Censor Bill Hastings said censorship law requires the Office to protect society from the harm caused by restricted and objectionable publications. To do its job, the Office must fiercely guard its independence by balancing competing views. For example, the Office classified the film Out of the Blue by balancing the filmmaker’s opinion with those who were most affected by the event the film depicted. Censors must also be aware of broad but often quietly spoken public opinion and resist capture by narrow but often loud lobbies, added Mr Hastings. For example, the Office found that demands to ban the computer game Bully for allegedly glorifying bullying were unfounded after examination of the game revealed its anti-bullying stance. Similarly, The Peaceful Pill Handbook was banned after the Office found that it encouraged criminal activity instead of simply offering advice and advocating law reform as its authors claimed.

18th November		Melancholy Censors...

	Iran book censors generate interest in banned title
	From Google News see full article See also Iran: Book Censorship The Rule, Not The Exception
	An Iranian government decision to forbid the second printing of a Persian translation of Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez has spurred interest in the book, booksellers said Saturday. The novel by the famed Latin American writer was translated into Persian and had an initial press run of 5,000 copies. It was only banned after the Ministry of Culture received complaints from conservatives who believed the novel was promoting prostitution. The ban has only provoked greater interest in the novel and on Saturday, copies of the book were being sold for more than twice their list price. Ahmad Abbasi, paid over the odds to get a copy: I don't know what the book is about. But when the government bans a book, there is something interesting in it. So, I'm buying the book out of curiosity. The novel, known as Memories of My Melancholy Whores in the West, was translated into Persian as Memories of My Melancholy Sweethearts. It tells the story of an elderly man who had long used prostitutes and decides to mark his 90th birthday by sleeping with a 14-year-old virgin. He ends up falling in love with the girl. Officials at Niloofar Publications, which published the first edition, confirmed Saturday they have been forbidden to put out the second edition. Iran has tightened censorship of books, films and music since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005.

14th November		Censorship Effect...

	Singapore bans the computer game, Mass Effect
	From Galbadia X see full article Mass Effect is released on 23rd Nov 2007 and is available at UK Amazon
	Singapore's government has announced a ban on the sale of BioWare's upcoming Mass Effect computer game. The ban was triggered by the revelation of a scene in the game in which a sexual encounter between a human woman and a female alien is portrayed in a poorly-lit room with brief partial nudity. The depiction of same-sex relations is enough to get the game thrown out of Singapore. To put this into context, The BBFC kindly published a detailed explanation of their 12 rating (suitable for 12 year olds and over): Mass Effect is a role playing game and shooter set in the future in space. The player controls either a male or female American soldier through a long and involved story line, making choices along the way. The game has been classified at '12' for moderate violence and one sex scene. The violence is undetailed and takes place in a futuristic setting. The single sex scene is brief and undetailed, although there is breast nudity in one version of the scene. The sex scene is triggered by the player making a series of choices about becoming more than friends with a colleague. If playing as a male character the scene can take place between him and a human woman or a humanoid female alien. If playing as a female character the scene can take place between her and a male human or a female humanoid alien. The game also contains use of the word 'bastard' and at least one aggressive use of the word 'bitch'. Both of which are acceptable under BBFC Guidelines at '12'. Note also that "breast nudity" just refers to one side view of a blue alien breast, no nipple.

17th November	Update:	Mass Censorship...

	Singapore unbans the computer game, Mass Effect
	From TodayOnline.com see full article Mass Effect is released on 23rd Nov 2007 and is available at UK Amazon
	After winding up the video gaming community with the ban of Mass Effect, the authorities have done a U-turn by rating the highly-anticipated futuristic space adventure and allowing its sale in Singapore. In a statement on Friday, the Media Development Authority (MDA) said the game had been reviewed by the Board of Film Censors (BFC) and is now rated M18. Mass Effect was earlier banned in Singapore, the only country to have done so, as it contained an intimate scene between two female characters. The ban had triggered disappointment and anger among local and international gamers. The Singapore censors previously banned two games, God of War II for nudity, and The Darkness, for violence and vulgarity.

10th November		The Banning Game...

	New Zealand censors up for the Golden Showers Award
	From Scoop see full article
	The short film The Game may be banned from playing in New Zealand by the Office of Film and Literature Classification. The Australian short film was scheduled to play in the Show Me Shorts Film Festival in Auckland before also traveling to Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington. Festival Director Gina Dellabarca is shocked that this film has been “refused” by the Film and Video Labeling Body (FVLB). She says, The incident in the film that has caused the problem is not even actually seen on screen, the characters simply refer to the act of urination in a sexual sense. The person who requests the act is heavily mocked and the film is funny and light. This is a top quality film that the public are missing out on the chance to see. The film has previously screened in Australia, the UK, Germany and Canada with no problems. The Show Me Shorts Film Festival Trust have sent The Game to the Chief Censor requesting urgent viewing in hope of securing a rating so it can be shown in the other locations. Director Christopher Johnson, who is currently attending a film festival in Germany, has been made aware of the problem. He was, “surprised” by the refusal because, although the film addresses a form of sexual deviance, it’s done in a comedic vein, because it’s a comedy.

7th November		Throwing in the Towel...

	Indian Censor cut to Saawariya accepted
	From Sify see full article
	Ranbir Kapoor's female fans are in for a disappointment - the towel dropping shot in the number Jab se tere naina has been deleted by the Indian censor board. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is not complaining because it neither obstructs the flow nor makes a mess of his film Saawariya. The director Sanjay Leela Bhansali was offered the choice of keeping the nude shot with an adult certificate. But the filmmaker didn't want to lose an extremely large and crucial portion of the potential audience for one shot. In fact, several members of the censor board who loved the film suggested I take the cut and go with the 'U' certificate. Though in principle I'm against any cuts, this one time I agreed. The shot doesn't really make any difference to the flow of my story, Bhansali told IANS. The film is all set for release Nov 9.

27th August

Lust for an NC-17 Rating

Ang Lee's Lust, Caution rated NC-17

Based on an article from Rope of Silicon see full article

Variety is reporting that Ang Lee's Lust, Caution has earned an NC-17 rating, and Focus Features has accepted it!

This is not normal. Not by a long shot considering they can't promote the film using TV spots, some newspapers restrict the advertising and some theaters explicitly say they won't play any NC-17 rated films.

What is the highest grossing NC-17 rated film of all-time? That would be Showgirls at a mere $20.3 million, but this doesn't seem like it could possibly be a play for box-office glory considering the film is also 100% spoken in Mandarin and isn't the $128 million action fare Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was.

Why is it rated NC-17? We will have to wait until next week, but Variety says the production notes compare it to the sexually implicit Last Tango in Paris.

Update: Cut Version gets Chinese Release

30th August

Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, will be aired in Chinese theaters from September 26.

Ren Zhonglun, the president of the Shanghai Film Group and a film collaborator, said that he had watched the demo version of Lust, Caution but didn't find any outrageous scenes. He did admit that Chinese censors had voiced some opinions for revisions that Ang Lee has accepted.

In particular sex scenes will be cut.

Update: Prize Winner

10th September

Ang Lee's Lust, Caution has won the Golden Lion, the top prize at the Venice Film Festival

12th September

Update: Lust Suitable for Children

Substantial Chinese cuts for Lust, Caution

Based on an article from Variety Asia see full article

Golden Lion-winner Lust, Caution will be trimmed of 30 of its steamiest and most violent minutes for Chinese audiences.

In Hong Kong, a Chinese Special Administrative Region where the film is to be given a wide 50-print release by Edko Films on Sept 26, "Lust" is also likely to be sliced. We are still waiting for the advice of the ratings board, said an Edko source. But it seems pretty clear that we are heading for cuts in order to qualify for a III rating.

Of Hong Kong's four ratings, the III classification is the territory's only one with mandatory effect. It gives theater box offices the power to check IDs, requires that promotional materials are screened by the censors and that videos are sold in sealed plastic wrapping.

No such a rating option exists in the Chinese mainland, where either everyone gets to see a movie, from toddler to teen to pensioner, or no one does. The lack of a film classification system means the only tools at the censor's disposal are cutting entire scenes or simply banning a movie, both drastic steps when one considers that script approval was granted before a movie goes into production.

China's main movie watchdog, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) refuses to introduce the rating system as it believes that if a movie is unsuitable for children, then it's unsuitable for adults too.

Lust, Caution was originally due to open on Sept. 23 in mainland China but is now more likely to bow on Oct. 26 only after completion of a special blackout period, known as "Outstanding Golden Domestic Film Exhibition Month," to allow for a crucial Communist Party congress.

15th September

Update: Unbridled Lust

Lust, Caution uncut in Taiwan

From Channel News Asia see full article

Taiwan censors have approved the release of the full version of director Ang Lee's award-winning erotic spy thriller Lust, Caution. The committee voted unanimously on Friday that the film could be released rated "R" without any censorship, said the Taipei-based China Times.

The artistic achievement of 'Lust, Caution' has been recognised after the (Golden Lion) award and it will better meet the public expectation to release the film uncut, the report quoted government film official Chen Chun-jhe as saying.

Lust, Caution is set to open in Taiwan on September 24.

13th October	Update:	No Lust for Cuts...

	BBFC pass Lust, Caution uncut 18 for a cinema release
	From the BBFC
	The UK's BBFC have now passed the cinema release 18 uncut with the following comment: Lust, Caution is a subtitled period drama in Mandarin, set in Japanese-occupied China, about a young woman who works with the resistance to help assassinate a top collaborator with the Japanese. It was classified '18' for three scenes of strong sex, in which we see considerable detail, including various sexual positions and some crotch detail. Furthermore, in the first scene, it is not made clear whether the woman is consenting to sex or not. The film also contains a lengthy scene in which a group of students kill a collaborator. He is repeatedly stabbed with a knife but does not die, and his shirt becomes increasingly blood-stained. He is eventually killed by one of the students who breaks his neck.

26th October	Update:	Real Sex, Of Course Not...

	Philippines pass Lust, Caution uncut R-18 for cinema
	From The Inquirer see full article
	It is encouraging to hear that the Philippine Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has allowed Ang Lee’s controversial, award-winning film, Lust, Caution, to be shown without cuts. The R-18 without cuts rating means the much-talked about sex scenes of Tony Leung and Tang Wei—graphic, yes, but integral to the film—will be seen intact by Philippine moviegoers. Rather than cut the sexually explicit scenes, Ang and his producers accepted the film’s NC-17 rating in the US. Usually, filmmakers slapped with an NC-17 tag make cuts to get a less restrictive rating. They see NC-17 as a death knell for a movie at the box-office since this rating severely limits the size of the audience allowed to watch. As we’ve written previously, these sex scenes are acrobatic and daring. In a film that wonderfully, deliberately takes its time to tell a story of emotional and political intrigue in World War II Shanghai, the scenes appear toward the end of the film. Tony and Tang, playing characters both wary and attracted to each other; circling, testing, baiting each other, finally let go and have unembarrassed sex. The full nudity scenes seem so real that not a few viewers wondered if actual “pene” (borrowing a term, short for penetration, that was in vogue in Manila in the ‘80s) took place. Our colleague did ask Tony and Tang, who came with interpreters, about it in their joint press con with us in Toronto. The reporter asked, I apologize ahead of time. I hope no one will be offended. If you feel uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer. Did you have actual sex? Tony answered, Of course not.

18th November	Update:	No Lust, Only Caution...

	Suing Chinese censors for ruining films
	From the Financial Times see full article
	The Chinese decision to order the excision of seven minutes of explicit and unorthodox sexual activity from the Ang Lee's Lust, Caution has prompted some unusually bold challenges to Beijing's film censorship system. Graduate law student Dong Yanbin has drawn widespread local attention by trying to sue a cinema chain and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (Sarft) for infringing his rights by screening a version of the film with an incomplete plot structure. His attempt has already been rebuffed by Beijing courts twice, but the case highlights dissatisfaction with China's one-size-fits-all film censorship regime. The system has no age-based ratings, which means any film release is officially suitable for children, while faceless officials have wide discretion to ban or cut titles for a wide range of loosely defined moral, social or political reasons. Critics say the system undermines the local film industry by making it difficult to come up with compelling content for adult audiences. It also fuels China's booming trade in uncut pirated versions of imported titles such as Lust, Caution that can easily be bought on the street. Film industry figures have long called for the introduction of a ratings system. Sarft has not ruled out such a system, but has shown little enthusiasm. The official Xinhua news agency this year said the regulator's approach was based on the view that films not suitable for children are not suitable for adults, either.

2nd December	Update:	Caution, No Lust...

	Thai film censor renders Lust, Caution as unwatchable
	From Thai Visa
	Ang Lee's Lust Caution was noticed in the US when its sex scenes were rated as NC-17. An adults only rating that is usually commercial suicide in the US. But don't bother seeing it on the big screen in Thailand. The board of morality cut out 10 minutes of the film which makes it not worth watching. I saw the uncut version in California a few weeks ago and while viewing it thought of the censors in Thailand and how they would snip away so much of the good parts, really essential to the story.

16th October		Drunk in Charge of a Blue Pencil...

	New Zealand channel screened racist texts
	From New Zealand Herald see full article
	Alt TV has blamed a drunken employee for breaches of broadcasting standards that have seen the channel taken off air. The Broadcasting Standards Authority banned Alt TV from broadcasting for five hours next Monday after it ruled that Groove in the Park, the channel's broadcast of a music event, breached standards of good taste and decency and children's interests, and encouraged denigration and discrimination on the basis of race. In its response to the Authority, Alt TV explained that it had employed the services of a moderator/censor to look at the text messages before they were broadcast. Unfortunately, it said, the person who had been employed had become intoxicated on the day and had failed to perform this role. As punishment, Alt TV has been ordered off-air between 12 noon and 5pm on Labour Day and been told to instead display a statement which summarises the authority's decision and apologises to viewers. The channel has also been ordered to pay costs of $5000. The authority said it considered the breaches to be "extremely serious". A viewer complained that during the broadcast text messages of a racist and sexual nature, including explicit language, were run across the screen. The statements supporting death of and violence towards people of particular races could, the authority said, aptly be described as hate speech.

7th October

TV Censorship for Indonesia...

Protecting children, teenagers and women!

From the Jakarta Post

The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) and the Film Censorship Board (LSF) said they would soon issue a new set of ethical codes for television aired nationally.

KPI chairman Sasa Djuarsa Sendjaja said both KPI and LSF had formulated standards of television programs but they needed to merge concepts: We will also make changes based on complaints logged by television viewers.

The commission said it had received many complaints from the public over poor television programs, including those related to "pornography, mysticism and violence".

We will also set benchmarks for television programs aimed at children, teenagers and women, Sasa said.

7th October

Update: Fucking Great Job...

Canadian TV censors whinge at post victory sports interview

From Reuters see full article

Canada's TV censors have ruled that triumphant sports athletes can't use the word "fuck" on air during post-game interviews, even if they've just beaten the Russians to win the gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championships.

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council said that The Sports Network (TSN), Canada's cable sports channel, was wrong to allow Canadian hockey forward Jonathan Toews to drop the F-bomb on live TV after he and his teammates earned the world junior hockey crown.

During the January 5, 2007 live telecast, Toews enthusiastically told TSN reporter James Cybulski that the Canadian team did a "fucking great job" beating the Russians to win their second gold medal in as many years at the championships.

The CBSC, reacting to a viewer complaint over the use of the f-word in a daytime broadcast, ruled the action breached an industry code of ethics that restricts the use of abusive language to between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., when young people are less likely to watch TV.

As a sanction, TSN was ordered to broadcast the CBSC ruling in prime time.

7th October

Fiji Bans Hindi Movie...

Lest it give the 'natives' ideas

From Stuff see full article

Fiji's first Hindi language movie has been banned from public screening in Fiji.

Adhura Sapna, centred on a rural land dispute between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians, has already screened in New Zealand.

But its director, Vimal Reddy, says the Fiji Censor Board has certified it as unsuitable for screening due to its strong racial themes.

To win permission to screen it the board says some of the dialogue and the land issue needs to be deleted.

Reddy told the Fiji Times today that the parts the board asked him to remove were the crux of the movie.

Around 40% of Fiji's 850,000 people are ethnic Indians, mostly descendants of contract labourers imported by Britain to work on Australian owned sugar plantations. Rural Indo-Fijians these days most live on leased land with many of the leases now expiring.

Update: DVD Release

17th October 2007

Adhura Sapna which was locally produced will be released on DVD from Saturday.

Film director Vimal Reddy speaking from Australia said the Censor Board has banned the film in Fiji theatres, which has prompted him to consider an appeal.

Reddy, however, after careful consideration with the movie’s producers decided to release the DVD without editing the scenes, which according to the Censor board are sensitive issues for Fiji viewers.

Reddy said the decision was based on the basis that Fiji will be its major market following its release: We have the other alternative which we’ve been advised by the authorities there that releasing DVDs for private viewing is permitted and we know that the best alternative.

25th September

Update: Just a Little State Censorship...

Nigeria's Kano state goes censorship crazy

From All Africa see full article

Kano State Censorship Board has extended the suspension earlier imposed on film production in the state from Three to six months until 21 February, 2008, just as it reeled out a massive number of measures to restrict the media industry.

IThe Board under its former executive secretary, Alhaji A.A. Kurawa, imposed a three-month suspension after a sex video clip of a popular actress, Maryam Hiyana, went public.

Addressing a press briefing, the new executive secretary of the board, Malam Abubakar Rabo Abdulkarim, explained that the extension of the suspension became necessary in order to enable his administration introduce new measures for the 'improvement' of film production in the state, adding that the policy would be vigorously monitored by the board to ensure stringent penalties for defaulters.

Rabo stated that the board has created additional guidelines for registration of production companies, artistes, internet cafes, publishers and authors. According to the new laws, production companies must have a minimum of N2.5 million as working capita; all members of the production crew shall also have a minimum qualification of a diploma or certificate in a related field from a recognised institution. The board would now censor films on CDs and VHS cassettes and all films marketed in the state,.

Rabo revealed that the board has cancelled singing and dancing of any kind in Hausa films, and no producer would be allowed to go to location for filming without his script being approved by a recognised consultant and vetted by the board.

Members of the Kano State Association of Printers have also been advised to make sure that before they print any book or poster meant for public use they must obtain a clearance from the board.

Meanwhile, according to the executive secretary, stakeholders of literary works such as authors, publishers, bookshops, poster sellers, distributors and vendors are expected to register with the board in compliance with the requirements of the Censorship Board Law 2001: A person who therefore exhibits, publishes, sells or distributes, in any manner whatsoever, a literary work without Censorship Board certificate shall be liable to face the wrath of the relevant provision of the Law.

He then called on the stakeholders and the people in the state to support the task force in its purpose of sanitising the industry.

5th October

Update: The Last Nigerian Movie...

Before nutter censors take over

From the BBC see full article

A filmmaker in northern Nigeria has defied a ban on filming brought in by Islamic authorities after a popular actress was caught up in a sex scandal.

The Kano State authorities suspended all filming in August for six months after a video clip of popular actress Maryam Hiyana having sex with a married man spread through Kano, the largest city in the mainly Muslim north.

Officials then acted, saying that in future, singing and dancing will be banned in movies, actors and directors will need a licence to make films and production companies will have to meet strict criteria before they will be allowed to do business.

Seventeen actors have already received bans for "immoral conduct" such as drinking off set and another director was jailed for making a film showing belly-dancing women.

The state's Islamic authorities say singing and dancing are gratuitous sexual titillation banned by the Koran, and the new regulations are necessary to protect public decency.

But producer Hamisu Lamido Iyan Tama says he has found a loophole in the state's harsh censorship powers.

His film, a Nigerian version of West Side Story, is funded by the US embassy as part of "heart and minds" anti-violence campaign and is therefore out of reach of the state censor's knife.

Iyan Tama's film, Tsintsiya (The Broom in Hausa), is about a young couple who find love across ethnic boundaries during bloody riots that rocked the state in 2004.

Filming began before the ban was introduced but was completed last month.

But Abubakar Rabo, head of the Kano State Censorship Board and a former deputy chief of the religious Hisbah police, disagrees - saying the ban was needed to prevent the religious public attacking filmmakers. And while the loophole allowed the filming of Tsintsiya to be completed, it will not be sold in Kano without Rabo's approval.

Iyan Tama says he does not care if his film is banned in Kano, and hopes his latest offering will be seen and accepted by a world audience.

22nd September

No Rights in Philippines...

Censors ban films about killings and disappearances

From ABS CBN see full article

Filmmakers are up in arms against the latest decision of the Philippines Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), stopping the commercial showing of independently produced short films on human rights in the country.

The MTRCB reviewed the 30-second to one-minute films, which tackle unexplained killings and enforced disappearances involving activists and journalists, among others.

The following day, the board informed the Philippine Independent Filmmakers Cooperative (PIFC) that the short films were rated “X”, which means they are deemed unfit for public viewing.

Scenes in this film are presented unfairly, one-sided, and undermine the faith and confidence of the government and duly constituted authorities, thus, not fit for public exhibition, explained MTRCB chairman Ma. Consoliza Laguardia.

The 13 short films contain excerpts from news video footage from the era of martial law, the killing of former Sen. Ninoy Aquino, and demonstrations during the Marcos administration, up to the killings of militant leaders, and the abduction of others, including Jonas Burgos.

The 13 short films titled RIGHTS were supposed to be shown yesterday at the Indie Sine cinema in a mall in Ortigas Center, in commemoration of the 35th anniversary of martial law and International Day of Peace.

The MTRCB gave the petitioner five days to file their appeal for a second review. Campaigners say that the appeal will be lodged.

Multi-awarded filmmaker Carlitos Siguion-Reyna of the Directors Guild of the Philippines Inc. (DGPI) and Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) said the MTRCB decision against the showing of the RIGHTS is indicative of “an abusive law”.

27th September

Update: Put to Rights...

Philippines censors overturn ban on campaigning film on appeal

From GMA News.tv see full article

The Philippines Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) took back its "X" banned rating on a short independent film which tackled the abduction of agriculturist Jonas Burgos, his family have said.

The previously banned Rights is a collection of public service advertisements containing 15 short works by Filipino independent filmmakers supporting calls for Jonas's release.

Jonas's brother Jose Luis "JL" Burgos said the second review committee of the MTRCB gave the film Rights an "R-13" meaning that it can be watched only by people over 13 years old.

He said Jonas's supporters trooped to the MTRCB to appeal the original ban.

One of the short films entitled Where Is Jonas? was included in Rights and is now available for viewing at online video sharing site YouTube.

It features a photo of Jonas's father, the late freedom fighter Jose Burgos, smiling in the company of two boys. However, the boy on the right flickers, then disappears...

22nd August

Vulgar Idolatry...

TV censors ban Chinese Pop Idol

Based on an article from the BBC see full article

A Chinese TV talent programme has been banned by the state's broadcasting censor for being "vulgar".

The First Heartthrob, a Pop Idol-style competition, was accused of catering to "the low-grade interests of a minority" and cancelled with immediate effect. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (Sarft) added that the show lacked social responsibility.

About 100,000 contestants auditioned for the show, which began last year, said the Chinese news agency Xinhua.

Chinese media reports suggest that a recent episode in which a contestant reduced one of the show's female judges to tears may have prompted the move.

The First Heartthrob is one of several TV talent shows to achieve high ratings in China.

Last week, Sarft required another such programme, Happy Boy's Voice, to include only "healthy and ethically inspiring" songs, and to try to avoid broadcasting "gossip" about the participants. It also banned judges from humiliating contestants.

Sarft ordered all Chinese broadcasters to note the ban of The First Heartthrob and urged them to: voluntarily abide by political discipline and propaganda discipline

Comment: Low Morals

From Dan

It's bought out British nutters from under the woodwork. On BBC's Ceefax 145 letters page a writer applauded China's regulators for cancelling the show for having "low morals" and wished we could do the same here.

Hmmm China style TV regulation? I'd be the first at Dover trying to get out of the country if that happened!

10th September

Update: Vulgar Display of Authority...

Chinese clean up TV for Party Congress

From The Independent see full article

China is clamping down on television shows deemed vulgar or in poor taste...no sexually explicit programmes, nothing featuring sex toys and contraceptives and anything involving sex change operations or real-life cosmetic surgery is off the air.

China wants to the fill the ether with solid communist values ahead of a high-level party congress next month, where President Hu Jintao will cement his power base.

Chinese TV is remarkably chaste and nudity or even the softest of porn are completely unthinkable on air. But reality-TV shows have been screening 'bawdy' behaviour and exhibitionism, to the authorities' irritation.

The campaign against "vulgar" television has already shut down The First Heart-throb, a spectacularly chaotic version of Britain's Pop Idol.

Growing affluence in China and increased competition between regional broadcasters means there is greater demand for this type of show, often at the expense of the traditional, patriotic performances favoured by the Communist government.

The state broadcasting watchdog recently banned programmes featuring surgery and sex-change operations. Beautiful Makeover, a reality show in the southern province of Guangdong which showed scenes of plastic surgery operations, was axed. All levels of television broadcasters must not plan or produce sex change or plastic surgery programmes involving public participation (including news, specials or interviews), effective immediately, Sarft , the Chinese TV censor, said.

Sarft also criticised other provincial stations broadcasting "lewd and obscene" images. All levels of television broadcasters must not air any vulgar content involving sexual experiences or functions of sex toys and birth control devices, effective immediately, Sarft said. It also has told the state broadcaster CCTV to rein in racy advertisers.

The government is also keeping a lid on any controversial movies before the 17th Party Congress, due to start on 15 October. Only visions of China's "harmonious society" will make the cinema screens and the period around the meeting will be known as Outstanding Golden Domestic Film Exhibition Month.

Among the films hit by the rules will be Ang Lee's racy wartime drama Lust, Caution. The Chinese market is already getting a toned-down version of the steamy movie, and it has now been postponed until after the congress ends.

Update: Cleaning up Radio

12th September

The broadcasting censor, SARFT, has banned two sexually explicit radio talk shows in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The daily talk shows broadcast by Sichuan Provincial People's Broadcast Station and Chengdu Municipal People's Broadcast Station "seriously broke the rules", the administration said.

Broadcast after 9 pm the two- to three-hour long programs dealt with material of an "extreme pornographic nature" and talked about sex lives, sexual experiences, sex organs and the efficacy of certain drugs for sex.

The administration ordered the two stations to immediately suspend the programs and others like it and said "those responsible must be punished. Local broadcasters must draw lessons from these cases and improve their social responsibility and professional skills to create righteous public opinion.

17th September

Update: Talking Censorship...

China bans more supposedly explicit sex talk shows

From China Daily see full article

The State Administration of Film, Radio and Television (SAFRT) switched off 13 radio sex talk shows in five central and southern provinces recently, according to SAFRT's website.

According to the notice issued by SAFRT on September 13, 11 sex explicit talk shows broadcast by provincial broadcast stations in Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guizhou and Hainan were suspended for their pornographic nature.

The notice said "the problem of the five broadcast stations is serious and those responsible will be dealt with".

The notice said the banned programs dealt with material of an "extreme pornographic nature" and talked about sex lives, sexual experiences, sex organs and the efficacy of certain drugs for sex.

Local broadcasters must draw lessons from these cases and improve their social responsibility and professional ethics, said the notice.

The SAFRT said it will establish a hotline in near future for the public to report vulgar programs they discover

29th September

Update: Vulgar Censorship...

China bans sexually suggestive advertising

I'd have thought the Chinese would have run out of things to ban but they seem to keep finding more.

From the BBC see full article

China's broadcasting watchdog has banned all "sexually suggestive" advertising on television and radio.

Adverts for products like sex-related health supplements and sex toys will be prohibited, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (Sarft) said. "Vulgar" adverts for things like breast enhancements and female underwear will also be banned, Sarft said.

The watchdog said the move was taken as the adverts were "socially corrupting". In a circular, Sarft said that adverts featuring suggestive language or scantily-clad women were "detrimental to society": Sexually suggestive ads and bad ads not only mislead consumers seriously and harm public health, but are socially corrupting and morally depraving, and directly discredit the radio and TV industry.

Broadcasters that do not obey the rules would face severe penalties, it said.

Sarft has been tightening its grip ahead of the Chinese Communist Party's five-yearly congress in October.

15th September

Hatchet Job...

Hostel Part 2 cut in New Zealand

From TV 3 see full article
The uncut region 1 DVD is available at US Amazon

New Zealand's horror fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of Hostel Part II on the big screen, but it appears all they will get to watch is a diluted DVD version.

New Zealand's Office of Film and Literature Classification says one scene is just too full on and would be "injurious to the public good".

The censors ruled that the movie could only be released if the scene was edited out.

However, the film’s distributor, Sony Pictures (NZ), and many of the fans believe the film would not be harmful to the public if it was released uncut.

Hostel: Part II was said to be a difficult film to classify, so the censors arranged a controlled public viewing of the movie. The people involved in the public viewing represented a broad spectrum of the New Zealand public and were not all horror fans - most of them would normally avoid such films.

31st December		Censors Preaching Bollox...

	India's moral police don't want to be thought of as moral police
	From Deccan Herald see full article
	Chairperson of the Indian Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) Sharmila Tagore feels that censorship should not be used for moral policing and preaching. Though some kind of check was necessary, care should be taken not to stifle entertainment, Sharmila Tagore said. She said Members of the Board while avoiding to be moral police, should, however, act with great care as they were responsible to the civil society. India is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-ethnic country, and majority of the people want some kind of censorship, and the government has to take note of that, she said.