By Rita Kyriakides
THE GOVERNMENT is planning to introduce new screening categories to refine the classification of films in bill due to be put before the House of Representatives.
The current law places films in three categories – 1, for all ages, 2, where children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult, and 3, for over 18s only.
The new law will introduce five categories: Universal, for all ages, over 12, over 15, over 18, and a special category that covers films containing extreme scenes that could be seriously offensive.
In June last year, the House of Representatives changed the name of the board responsible for viewing and categorising films from the Board of Film Censorship to the Board of Film Classification.
One of the oldest members of the Board, Olga Demetriades, yesterday told the Cyprus Mailthe draft bill had been prepared two years ago but was only looked at by the House Interior Committee on Monday.
Demetriades was instrumental in the preparation of the bill and said the new law was very similar to that of the British Film Classification Board.
One of the amendments under consideration by the House of Representatives is the possibility of setting up cinemas that would only show films from the special fourth category.
This would allow a way out of the dilemma posed by the controversial banning of the sexually-explicit French film Romancelast year.
” I rejected the idea of getting young people to go to pornographic cinemas. The next thing you know, they will be visiting the red light district,”said Demetriades.
She also complained that most newspapers did not show the categories, that police were not checking cinemas and that parents were ignorant of the categories.
Head of the Board of Film Classification Androulla Lanitis yesterday said the old law had been introduced in 1935 and the bill being considered would be an update.
” Under the old law, the Board was allowed to ban films and remove offensive scenes, something that will be abolished by the new law,”said Lanitis.
She also said the role of the board was to place films, to be shown in public cinemas, in categories
According to the law, films that have not been presented to the Board for classification can be confiscated by police without a court order. Police will retain that right under the amended law.
The bill is scheduled to be discussed by the House Interior Committee on December 17.
Police caused controversy last September when they barged into the Acropole Cinema in Nicosia and confiscated its copy of Romance , after it was banned by the Film Censorship Board for public screening.
Acropole argued the screening was taking place in a private film club, and won the ensuing court case.
