Some people, including some Americans might be surprised to learn that the ratings system used for movies here in the states is entirely voluntary. There is no obligation to submit a film to the MPAA (though theatrical distribution is very nearly impossible without an MPAA rating).

Conversely, there is no body to which a pornographer can submit his work to have it certified non-obscene. (Because of the “community standards” provision of Miller, I suppose a pornographer might find himself on trial multiple times in multiple “communities” for the same work, seemingly at odds with the Fifth and possibly Fourteenth amendments. But that’s an essay for another time…)

This is not the case in other countries.

For example, up in Canada, the progressive land of gay marriage, reefer, and long Winters, reviews and ratings are the responsibility of each province and are mandatory. To be sold, films must be submitted, at distributor’s expense, for review by the film board of each province and carry a government issued sticker.

In addition to the screening fee, some film boards will only review films submitted by companies that have a surprisingly costly distributor’s license. This must be done for each province in which one wishes to distribute one’s film, making independent distribution of sexually explicit titles in Canada virtually impossible. (A recent court challenge has put in doubt whether or not this will continue to be the case.)

Australia has a similar law, but at least in their case the board and rating system is national. Of course there are still some states in Australia where the sale of sexually explicit videos, government-rated or not, is illegal.

But that’s not what I’m blogging about today.

No, what’s on my mind is how funny it is that my and other governments continue to be so interested in what we watch, but (mostly) don’t care too much what we shove up our asses.

This comes to mind because very shortly Damon and Hunter: Doing it Together will begin wending it’s way through the various review processes in these respective jurisdictions. And while it’s doubtful that any changes will be required, there’s really no way to know until the process is complete. Whatever the case, it will cost money.

And very shortly, copies of Damon and Hunter will begin arriving in mailboxes throughout this country, including mailboxes in jurisdiction that don’t look too kindly on films of men fucking men.

Meanwhile, our friends over at Njoy Toys are looking at expanding their reach into some of the same markets, and their primary concern is the freight costs that their all together lovely, but quite heavy toys will incur.

Think about that for a minute. (Tick tock, tick tock.)

We make something that people watch and hear. They don’t touch it, taste it, or smell it. The only corporeal interaction that our videos have with the people who watch them are the massless photons that impact their retinas, and the gentle oscillations in air pressure that vibrate their eardrums.

But the governments of Canada and Australia have people and processes to review our films and make sure that they don’t contain any imagery that might be harmful to the viewer. My own government has a special team at the Justice Department to seek out and find potentially “obscene” videos, and then put the distributors on trial to determine whether or not the videos are “obscene”, with the hopes of punishing the distributor for discriminating such (harmful?) material.

Meanwhile over at Njoy they’re making objects purpose built to shove up your ass (and beautifully so I might add), and do any of the provincial governments of Canada care? Down in Australia does the Crown care whether or not the various items sold for anal stimulation are well-suited to the purpose? Has George Bush declared that “Butt plugs have no place in decent society,” or declared a National Protection from Dildos Week?

I suppose as a filmmaker and photographer I should be flattered and amused that my tools and my medium are thought to have such awesome power that they are seen as the legitimate province of government concern, while there are no such review boards or government oversight for something that you actually shove up your butt.

I should be flattered and amused, and mostly I am. But some days I feel like I’ve been dropped into one of those lost tribes who believe that cameras have the power to steal a person’s soul.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 9th, 2006 at 7:37 am and is filed under Censorship. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.