BBFC Pissed Off…Women Love Porn DVD to feature female ejaculation after tussle with the censors

Read more R18 Censor Cuts at MelonFarmers.co.uk

Based on article from annaspansdiary.com

Britain’s first female porn director, Anna Span has won a historic victory with the passing of her DVD, Women Love Porn which includes a woman clearly ejaculating. On initial submission to the BBFC, the board asked for compulsory edits to remove the female ejaculation section, as they believed the woman to be urinating and argued therefore it fell foul of the Obscene Publications Act. Even though most countries worldwide which allow pornography, do not single out female as opposed to male, ejaculation for censoring, the BBFC historically do not believe in the phenomenon. They have refused to pass previous films such as Ben Dover’s Squirt Queens in May 2001, saying that they had not received a convincing enough argument to support the existence of FE. Determined to put the record straight, Anna Span presented the BBFC with irrefutable scientific evidence in support of model DJ’s ability to squirt, as it is known in the adult industry. Anna says; I am really proud to have changed this outdated ruling and to have made a difference to women who experience this in their own lives throughout the UK. It was never fair that the BBFC dismissed their orgasms as urinary incontinence Initially the BBFC stood their ground and refused to pass the film but when Anna pushed for a hearing with the Video Appeals Committee, they later backed down after taking legal advice. They say that their position remains fundamentally unchanged for future releases although it is difficult to see how they can argue against future claims for DVDs which contain FE, now that this precedent has been set. It is particularly fitting that Women Love Porn should be so groundbreaking for women in the UK, as it is the result of a competition set by Anna Span to encourage new female directors into directing pornography. Five women won the opportunity to write and film a scene for the DVD, which includes the contentious FE scene Top Milf by director Paula Porn. The winner of the competition Katie Coxxx then went on to film a full DVD of her own titled Apocalypse Angels, also for Easy on the Eye Productions. Women Love Porn will be released at Venus International Adult Trade Fair in Berlin on the 15th October 2009.

Censor On…VRA 2 Set in Progress

Thanks to DoodleBug
From bbfc.co.uk

Read more BBFC News on MelonFarmers.co.uk

The BBFC have now added to their website comment:

The Government has set in train the actions necessary to remedy this situation as soon as possible and, as part of that process, have notified the Commission of the new draft Act and the Labelling Regulations deriving from it.

The Government has made clear to the BBFC that, once the process of re-enacting the VRA is complete, all video classification certificates issued by the BBFC since 1984 will be valid, and the legal consequences of non-compliance with the classification regime will be re-instated and enforced as vigorously as previously. Any video recording containing an unclassified video work which has been released in the interim period will need to be withdrawn from sale once the new Act is in force, unless the work can claim exemption.

The Government has therefore urged the industry in the interim to comply with the provisions of the VRA on a voluntary and best practice basis. The BBFC will continue to classify video works submitted by distributors on a voluntary basis for this period.

Censor On…BBFC explain that they are voluntarily continuing to censor according to the erased Video Recordings Act

Thanks to DoodleBug From bbfc.co.uk Read more BBFC News on MelonFarmers.co.uk

The BBFC have published an unsurprising disclaimer as to why the continue to censor citing the Video Recordings Act as justification for cuts: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has notified the BBFC of a serious issue which has come to light in relation to the Video Recordings Act 1984 (VRA). Because the then British Government failed to notify the European Commission under the Technical Standards and Regulations Directive (83/189/EEC) of the Act, the VRA is no longer enforceable against individuals in the United Kingdom. The Government has said that its priority is to remedy this situation as soon as possible and has urged the industry in the interim to comply with the provisions of the VRA on a voluntary and best practice basis. The BBFC will continue to classify video works submitted by distributors on a voluntary basis for this period. In these circumstances and for the time being, the information on the BBFC’s website should be read in the light of the DCMS’s notification.

Unjustified Censorship…Censorship stats: BBFC cut 21% of R18s in August 2009

Thanks to Sergio on the Melon Farmers Forum Read more BBFC News on MelonFarmers.co.uk

BBFC R18 cuts for August 2009 Number of items=67 No. Cuts=14 Cuts ratio=21% The R18 cuts stats 2009: January: 12 R18s cut out of 62 (19%) February 16 R18s cut out of 59 (27%) March: 27 R18s cut out of 101 (26%) April: 19 R18s cut out of 76 (25%) May: 22 R18s cut out of 60 (36%) June: 26 R18s cut out of 78 (33%) July: 14 R18s cut our of 51 (27%) August: 14 R18s cut our of 67 (21%) Cuts of interest: Hard Corps Recruits: The Few; The Proud; The Horny Directed by Chip Daniels Cut required to remove sight of potentially harmful anal penetration with a small glass mercury thermometer. Cut made in accordance with BBFC Guidelines and policy, and the Video Recordings Act 1984. [a law which was never enacted]

BBFC Masterclass…Explaining the difference between harmful and grotesque

Based on article from inverness-courier.co.uk Read more BBFC News on MelonFarmers.co.uk

Emily Fussell’s BBFC masterclass Eden Court’s La Scala cinema, Inverness Tuesday 25th August at 6.30pm. Note: This event is suitable for aged 15 and over, but some clips from 18 certificate films may be shown. Emily Fussell, a former cinema manager, works for the BBFC. Previously known as the British Board of Film Censors, these days the BBFC prefers to avoid the more emotive “censor” and titles Fussell and her colleagues examiners. However, the old terminology has not entirely died away. When you’re in the pub trying to explain what you do, you pretty much have to say ‘I’m a film censor’, Fussell acknowledged. Fussell will be in Inverness next week to give an insight into the enclosed world of film classification – and give Highland film enthusiasts a chance to do some censorship of their own. I get the audience to use their knowledge and try and classify something themselves, Fussell said: It’s amazing the reactions you get. Sometime you feel that young people are quite lenient and older people are more censorious, but when I showed people a clip from ‘Team America: World Police’ where the puppets have sex, the younger people wanted to give it quite a high rating but the older people were fine about it: ‘Oh, it’s just puppets.’ Most years see the BBFC embroiled in some controversy over its decisions, most recently Cannes prize-winner Antichrist from Danish director Lars Von Trier has been attacked for explicit sex and violence and faced calls for local authorities to ban the film after it was passed uncut by the BBFC. Defending the BBFC’s decision to pass the film, Fussell suggested much of the controversy had been generated by people who had not actually seen the film: A lot of the controversy about ‘Antichrist’ is based on a scene of explicit sex. There’s also a close up shot of genital mutilation, but that’s obviously not real, just gore and special effects. There’s nothing in it that would be harmful and that’s primarily what we are looking at. When we watched it we never had any doubt that it would be an 18 uncut. That’s the way we operate these days: an adult should be able to see what they want as long as it is not harmful. [...or Grotesque?]

Dark Knight Would Now be a 15?…New classification guidelines published by the BBFC

HTML clipboard

Based on article from bbfc.co.uk See 2009 Guidelines [pdf] from bbfc.co.uk See Supporting Research [pdf] from bbfc.co.uk Read more BBFC News on MelonFarmers.co.uk

The views of over 8,700 people across the UK from the age of 16 upwards have formed the basis for the latest set of classification Guidelines published today by the BBFC. David Cooke, Director of the BBFC said: The BBFC is committed to consulting the public every four years to ensure that the Guidelines we use to classify all works which are submitted to us not only take account of relevant UK legislation, but accurately reflect public attitudes and concerns. You would not expect there to be a massive shift in attitudes since the 2005 Guidelines, and there is sometimes an assumption that public attitudes are becoming more relaxed as time goes on, but that is not always the case. A number of specific concerns which emerged from the extensive consultation exercise, involving over 8,700 people, as well as the members of our Advisory Panel on Children’s Viewing and other experts, have been incorporated in the Guidelines published today. The BBFC is an open and accountable organisation and in order to bring about even greater transparency we have, in this new version of the Guidelines, gone into greater detail on how, why and when we do what we do. BBFC.online has been developed over the last 18 months, in close partnership with the video and new media industries and the British Video Association. There are already some 700 videos with ‘online certificates’ and this is likely to rise to about 1000 by the end of the month. We know from a number of recent surveys that the work of the BBFC is well known and understood by the UK public and this latest research shows that the BBFC’s decisions are in line with the vast majority of the public’s expectations. This consultation exercise took particular notice of the views of people who had recently watched a range of films or DVDs and when asked, 82 per cent thought that the BBFC was an effective regulator. The same people agreed with the ratings given to the films they had watched in 99 per cent of all cases. We have always said that film classification is not a science and that it is impossible to satisfy everyone. There will always be people who think that we are either too restrictive or too liberal, but it is clear that as far as the vast majority of the UK public is concerned the BBFC is getting it right. The BBFC classifies thousands of works a year and even slight changes to the Guidelines will have an impact on new and old works coming in for classification. Works which were clearly ‘U’, or ‘15’, or ‘PG’ or ‘12A’ under the old Guidelines would still be in the same category under the new Guidelines, but works which fell on the borderline between two categories previously could now find themselves being pushed into a different category. These new Guidelines, reflecting, as they do, current public concerns and sensitivities, will ensure that our classification decisions continue to command public confidence and support for what we do. MAIN FINDINGS 82% of recent film and DVD viewers thought the BBFC was an effective regulator The same people agreed with 99% of the classification decisions for the films they had watched Around 80% of people surveyed found the BBFC’s Consumer Advice useful, with this figure rising to 85% of parents with primary school aged children 85% of people who responded to the web based questionnaire found the Board’s website for parents – www.pbbfc.co.uk – useful 74% or respondents understood that the ‘12A’ category means that the film is not generally suitable for under 12s. MAIN CHANGES TO THE GUIDELINES Clearer and more detailed information about what the Board takes into account when classifying works (pages 4-7) and when interventions will be made and on what grounds (32-33) A clearer definition of ‘harm’, which results from the High Court ruling on the video game Manhunt 2 (page 4) The introduction of ‘discrimination’ as a key classification issue in each of the categories covering race, gender, religion, disability or sexuality (page 12) Clearer and more detailed information about how the tone and impact of a film is taken into account, as opposed to simply considering what is actually shown on screen (page 11) At ‘U’, the relaxation of the Guideline on references to drugs to allow for references which are both infrequent and innocuous (page 21). Under the old Guidelines a documentary which mentioned the Opium Wars between Britain and China had to be passed at ‘PG’ for this single reference alone At the ‘12A’/’12’ category a tightening of the horror criteria (page 25). This is in line with the introduction of tone and impact and would mean that some films, like The Others, would be likely to be given a higher classification At ‘12A’/’12’ there will be a presumption against the passing of frequent crude sexual references (page 25). This is in response to concerns expressed by the public about films such as Date Movie, Meet the Spartans and Norbit. At ‘15’, solvent abuse is now specifically mentioned as a classification issue and depictions are unlikely to be passed (page 27). This is in response, not only to public concern, but expert opinion Trailers and advertisements which are on the borderline between two categories be given the more restrictive rating because of the fact that the public has not chosen which trailers and advertisements to watch (pages 16-17) and because the BBFC has no control over which trailers or advertisements are shown before a particular film (eg a horror trailer before a ‘rom-com’). The exception will be public information films and charity advertisements where stronger material is acceptable to the public when there is a ‘public good’ justification.At ‘18’ the Board will continue to maintain the right of adults to choose their own entertainment unless material is in breach of the criminal law; or the treatment appears to the BBFC to risk harm to individuals or through their behaviour, to society; or where there are more explicit images of sexual activity which cannot be justified by context. As part of the research, respondents were specifically asked about explicit images of real sex in main stream films like 9 Songs and the clear message was that these images were acceptable at ‘18’ because of the context in which they appeared. David Cooke said: There may be criticism from some quarters that these changes are not more drastic or restrictive, but they are significant and will have an impact on our classification decisions. They also represent the views of the majority of the public. The BBFC is committed to ensuring that works are placed in the most appropriate category for them, in line with public expectations, and we will back up these decisions with the sort of information the public needs to make informed choices about what they and their families watch. Our Consumer Advice, which appears on film advertising and DVD packaging, is well recognised and appreciated and for people who want more detailed information there is the Extended Classification Information for all films, which appears on our main website, and the specifically tailored information for parents which appears on www.pbbfc.co.uk.

HTML clipboardRead more about BBFC News on MelonFarmers.co.uk

Reporting In…BBFC Annual Report for 2008 published

See BBFC Annual Report 2008 [pdf] from bbfc.co.uk Read more about BBFC News on MelonFarmers.co.uk

The Annual Report for 2008 has just been published by the BBFC. BBFC President, Quentin Thomas, uses his introduction to talk about BBFC Online and the internet in general. The theme of age verification inevitably crops up as it seems to be on of the general establishment concerns these days. Quentin Thomas wrote: To take just one type of potentially harmful content, we know that many children are coming across pornographic or obscene material online. With the recent development of ‘You Tube’ style pornographic sites such exposure can only increase. These sites offer instant and free access to a vast catalogue of explicit pornographic videos uploaded by users of the sites. Many of the videos contain violent, abusive or obscene content. Like ‘You Tube’, they have no gatekeeping in place. Many lack even a warning page because each additional ‘mouse click’ on the way to such content is thought to drive to rival sites. At time of writing, three such sites are in the top 50 most used sites in the UK, with the highest sitting between www.guardian.co.uk and www.aol.co.uk, and ahead of www.twitter.com, in terms of traffic. BBFC Director, David Cooke, uses his report to introduce the new classification guidelines for 2009.

HTML clipboardRead more about BBFC News on MelonFarmers.co.uk

Tougher on Teens…BBFC complete their latest public consultation

Thanks to William

The BBFC  have just-finished their latest public consultation on their classification guidelines. Sue Clark from the BBFC said there will be a slight toughening up on Horror/psychological Horror at the 12A and 15 categories. 18 rated films will remain untouched unless we absolutely must intervene. She was also asked if there would be any extension of the ‘advisory’ 12A to perhaps a 15A. But this idea isn’t on the cards at the moment (or ever).

Poverty Porn…Supporting the hype for Slumdog Millionaire

Based on article from timesonline.co.uk See also decision from the BBFC

Slumdog Millionaire and the BBFC are taking a bit of stick in the Times in an article by Alice Miles. She writes: There are many reasons why you might want to see Slumdog Millionaire – it is directed by the brilliant Danny Boyle, it is set in the sensual feast that is Mumbai and it has won awards for music, directing and acting. And then there is the fact that critics and its own publicity have branded it a feel-good movie. Call me shallow, but that ultimately swung it for me. A few hours later I was wincing in my seat. The film opens with a scene of horrible violence: a man hanging from the ceiling of a police station, being tortured to unconsciousness, a trickle of blood running from his mouth. It moves swiftly into scenes of utter misery and depravity, in which small starving children are beaten, mutilated and perverted. Mothers die horribly in front of their sons, small girls are turned into prostitutes, small boys into beggars. I hope it won’t spoil the feel-good surprise if I tell you that one particularly sadistic scene shows a young boy having his eyes burnt out with acid to maximise the profits of street begging. Charities working with street children in India seem unaware of any instances of this, although Save the Children emphasises that similar violence against children by beggar mafia is well documented. The film is brilliant, horrifying, compelling and awful, the relentless violence leavened only by an occasional clip of someone working his way through the questions on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. You might want to look away, but you can’t and, despite the banal storyline, I can see why it is pulling in the awards. Yet the film is vile. Unlike other Boyle films such as Trainspotting or Shallow Grave, which also revel in a fantastical comic violence, Slumdog Millionaire is about children. And it is set not in the West but in the slums of the Third World. As the film revels in the violence, degradation and horror, it invites you, the Westerner, to enjoy it, too. Will they find it such fun in Mumbai? Here is the BBFC summary of the film. Slumdog Millionaire is a drama about a young street lad who wins the Mumbai version of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’. It has been classified ‘15′ for strong language and violence. (I would add another ten to that) The film is in a mixture of English, and subtitled Hindi. Together with several uses of strong language in English, there are also a number of untranslated uses of strong Hindi terms – all of which were considered acceptable under the BBFC Guidelines at ‘15′, which permit ‘frequent use of strong language (eg ‘fuck’). Strong violence is seen in a scene where a group of Muslims are attacked and killed i the street – together with general chaos and beatings, there are some stronger and more explicit moments, such as the deliberate setting of a man on fire, that go beyond the BBFC Guidelines at ‘12A’, which direct ‘Violence must not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood’. We also later see strong violence that includes a knife held to a woman’s throat as she’s forcibly snatched off the street, an impressionistic blinding of a young beggar boy, and torture by electricity in a police station. Comedy? So maybe that’s it: I just didn’t get the joke.

Megavixens at the BBFC…Cuts waived to Cherry, Harry & Raquel

Thanks to Bleach The uncut region 0 DVD is available at UK Amazon

Cherry, Harry & Raquel is a 1970 US crime film by Russ Meyer (Freemantlemedia Enterprise) BBFC cuts were waived for the 2005 DVD release on the Arrow label Previously the 1998 Allied Troma video and the 1999 Polygram video were both cut by 3s Remove all sight of bloody body of naked woman.