Independence Day!
Happy Fourth of July! The American Experiment celebrates its 231st birthday today!
Worth noting, in England, the country from which we wrested away our independence through force of arms, it is illegal to exhibit or sell any of our titles. That’s right, our lovely little films are illegal to show or sell in merry old England. 
Not here in the US! Unlike the UK, we do not have a government mandated, government run censorship ratings board. Nor are films required to carry a rating before they can be exhibited or sold.
So fire up the BBQ, crack open brew, and drink a toast to our unalienable Rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness; here in the land of the free and the home of the brave!
July 6th, 2007 at 8:27 am
They are implementing similiar ridiculous laws here, in some states pornography will be banned all out, and in the Northern Territory, a law is attempting to be passed by our government to refuse alcohol and pornography material to our indigenous population. But Tony, I will toast my rather tidy portion of Brandy tonight to you, although I’m a couple of days late.
Rups
July 6th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Thanks Rupert!
July 12th, 2007 at 6:46 am
Does that mean that all types of pornography are banned in England? Or is the issue that it was made outside of the country, and therefore is unrated? Or…?
July 12th, 2007 at 7:06 am
Hello Essin’ Em!
What it means is that in the UK all film must be submitted to the government-run ratings board (BBFC) before they can be exhibited or DVD copies sold. Additionally, if the BBFC rates a film R-18, then it cannot be exhibitted in theaters, and DVD copies can only be sold in special shops. This is more or less the same system that gave us trouble in Australia with DAMON AND HUNTER. Different letter and numbers, but in the end, if you want to show or sell a film, you have submit it to the goverment ratings board.
Here in the US, the major ratings organization the MPAA, is a private organization, participation in their rating system is entirely voluntary, and the ratings have no force of law. (In fact, the MPAA recently sued to prevent the use of their ratings system as a definition of what would or would not be legal to sell in Utah.)
Filmmakers can participate in the MPAA system, as we did with MARIE AND JACK, or forgo the ratings system, as we have done with our other titles. Whether or not a film has an MPAA rating has no legal standing.
July 12th, 2007 at 10:31 am
Interesting.
Having lived in Europe, I’m suprised that they are so much more stringent over there. One of my co-workers had the same problem going to Webmaster’s Access in Montreal. They searched her computer in depth, looking for porn that she might have been smuggling in. It’s strange to think that with all the laws against adult content we have in the US, other Western countries are just as, if not more, conservative.
July 12th, 2007 at 10:36 am
Last Summer, a festival in Italy was threatened with having their permit revoked if they did not pull clips from XANA AND DAX from panel discussion they were hosting on women-friendly erotica.
Are there problems with the American system? Absolutely. But we don’t have prior restraint, nor do we have any government ratings or censorship bodies, where as many other liberal democracies do.