Irish Film Censor's Office

Draco · 03-09-2004 06:40PM #1

The Irish Film Censor's Office now has a website where they'll briefly explain the ratings given to films. The url is: http://www.ifco.ie

Nice to see the new censor is opening up the whole process.

(for comparision, the british site is here)

Kappar · 03-09-2004 07:17PM

I'm glad to see this however, I think that the site has a lot more to do. I would like to see the database expand and more information of the fims i.e. reasons for the classifcation, what scenes were cut and why and so on.

Does anyone know if this information is available in the public domain? If i was to go to the fim censors' office would he give me this information? This is something that I am interested in.

Draco · 03-09-2004 08:06PM

You'd definitely get it if you put in a FOI request. Try ringing them up anyway and see what they say.

As for the website, it is early days yet. I'm sure they'll expand on it over time.

chewy · 04-09-2004 03:22AM

do the public get all those details in otehr countries..(after certification before release)?

Xcom2 · 06-09-2004 10:22PM

Kappar wrote:

Does anyone know if this information is available in the public domain? If i was to go to the fim censors' office would he give me this information? This is something that I am interested in.

"The Film Censor's Office holds registers of certified and prohibited works and also registers of licences of video/DVD retailers and wholesalers. These registers may be examined at the Film Censor's Office. At present, no fee is charged for this service."

http://www.oasis.gov.ie/culture_and_recreation/arts_and_culture/censorship_in_ireland/censorship_of_video_and_dvd_recordings_in_ireland.html

G

Kappar · 07-09-2004 11:42AM

global wrote:

"The Film Censor's Office holds registers of certified and prohibited works and also registers of licences of video/DVD retailers and wholesalers. These registers may be examined at the Film Censor's Office. At present, no fee is charged for this service."

http://www.oasis.gov.ie/culture_and_recreation/arts_and_culture/censorship_in_ireland/censorship_of_video_and_dvd_recordings_in_ireland.html

G

Thanks for that, but does that mean if a film is censored i.e. scenes are cut out can I find out what scenes were cut and perhaps why?

Chad ghostal · 07-09-2004 01:44PM

afaik (feel free to correct me) the irish film censor is for the majority of the time more of a classifier rather than a censor, i.e. he doesnt cut films just gives them a certificate..
he can (and does) ban films, but afaik because the english and irish markets are treated as one, then we only get films as they are (cut or otherwise), after they have left the bbfc.
having two cuts of the same film in the same market for big films companies would be a pain in the ass no>?

the database does seem to be more or less empty bar some of the film titles currently on release.. :rolleyes:
but at the same time im very glad they made the effort to be slightly more open about decisions..

kappar i dont think the censors would give out all of that information very frequently (simply because it would take time) but you could always check
www.melonfarmers.co.uk or other sites similar for the cuts to films..

Andrew Duffy · 07-09-2004 02:51PM

If the BBFC cuts a film for cinema, we won't get the same cuts unless the distibutor thinks they'll be required for the cert they want. We always get the same DVD cut as the UK since they're the same DVDs.

Draco · 07-09-2004 05:00PM

Chad ghostal wrote:

the database does seem to be more or less empty bar some of the film titles currently on release.. :rolleyes:

give it a chance - it is a new site and they are starting from scratch. It will fill out over time. Maybe mail them and ask them to put up older stufff? They may not think there is a demand for it.

Xcom2 · 07-09-2004 09:32PM

The one thing that worries me is that the contact email addy is the same one listed on the oasis site.I have mailed them several times and never received a reply.Hopefully now that they have a flashy new site they will be paying someone to answer mail.

G

:rolleyes:
I just used the feedback form on the site to ask a few question's.
Let's see if I get an answer.

chewy · 16-09-2004 04:34PM

A good example of this is The Matrix (the first one). When The Matrix
first came out on DVD in Ireland (I'm not sure if this holds through
for whatever new Matrix trilogy box sets are on sale now) it was
slightly cut. The reason for this is because in the UK they always
cuts scenes which involve headbutts. In the bit in the first Matrix
where Morpheus first fights Agent Smith, Morpheus headbutts Agent
Smith, and that was cut out from the UK DVD release.

? true?

Andrew Duffy · 17-09-2004 10:24AM

Yes. These two sites are good for finding out about cuts made to Region 2 DVD and video releases:

http://www.melonfarmers.co.uk/

http://www.dvdcompare.net/

Edit - annoyingly, the film was given an 18 here anyway, so we got the BBFC's 15-rated cut without the 15 rating.

Xcom2 · 26-09-2004 06:34PM

Well it's been 19 day's since I contacted them,no answer,big surprise there!

G

Agent Orange · 02-10-2004 01:14PM

global wrote:

Well it's been 19 day's since I contacted them,no answer,big surprise there!

I contacted them aswell and got no response. You could always ring them though - I've done it several times.

Has anyone got a hold of the survey that they were harping on about recently? They said it would be up for download on the site but no such luck. Anyone got it?

Gileadi · 10-10-2004 05:58PM

on the subject of censorship

im assuming Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is banned here,but is it the case in many eu places...been trying to get a hold of it for awhile now

Xcom2 · 10-10-2004 08:47PM

I dont know if it is banned here or not.It did get a UK 18cert and dosent appear to have been released on dvd yet.The only listing's I can find are for the US region 1 disc.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00007ELDF/qid=1097437386/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_2_1/026-5009581-9821218

G

Draco · 11-10-2004 09:17AM

Gileadi wrote:

on the subject of censorship

im assuming Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is banned here,but is it the case in many eu places...been trying to get a hold of it for awhile now

Pretty sure it isn't banned. It isn't coming up on play so I'm guessing it just not on DVD yet.

doh.ie · 11-10-2004 12:58PM

Think the Irish Film Censor's Office should veer away from having the word 'censor' in its title if it wants to present a positive public image (which, presumably, is the point of the website.)

They should go for Irish Film Classification Office (hey, no acronym change!) like Britian's BBFC. The Irish office, to the best of my knowledge, like in the UK, do not censor as such anyway - the ratings are used as a guide to cinema-goes and movie buyers.

Always irks me when I go to see a film and see the classification slate, the 'Censor's Office' name more or less telling me someone checked first to see if it was OK for me to see this, and if not, to chop bits out.

Xcom2 · 12-10-2004 09:25PM

I think the name should stay just as it is.

They do censor film's so there is no point trying to kid people into thinking they just classify! The rating's are Law,if they were just a guide you would be able to judge for yourself whether to bring a 15 year old to an 18 rated film.

G

doh.ie · 13-10-2004 01:58PM

global wrote:

I think the name should stay just as it is.

They do censor film's so there is no point trying to kid people into thinking they just classify! The rating's are Law,if they were just a guide you would be able to judge for yourself whether to bring a 15 year old to an 18 rated film.

G

I don't believe they do censor that much any more. Sure, they do from time to time, but it is much more likely for a film NOT to be cut and just earn a higher certificate here (UK's 15 to Irish 18, mostly.)

I didn't mean that the ratings should lose their legal element - of course no 14 year old should go to an 18s movie. But the term 'censor' paints a different image of the Office than I believe they are trying to portray, which is why I suggested 'Classification' would be better.

I'd like to see how greatly different UK and Irish cuts are. While there are many UK 15s which are 18 here (South Park stands out) and some inexplicable ones (Cider House Rules 12 in UK and 18 here?!?!?!), they are, for the most part, almost identical.

Distributors tend to know what is likely to be required to ensure an 18 or a 15 cert - even on the BBFC website, there are usually only minor requirements required on very few films. The Irish system is unlikely to be much different - indeed, the distributor is likely to submit the approved UK version here in most instances.

Draco · 19-10-2004 10:25AM

well things are a-changing:

Sexually explicit '9 songs' is passed by film censor

The Irish film censor, Mr John Kelleher, has passed the sexually explicit new British film by Michael Winterbottom, 9 Songs, uncut and with an 18 certificate for cinema release in Ireland.

When it was first screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May, the film generated a great deal of media interest. Such was the demand for seats that dozens of journalists had to be turned away.
more >>

ixoy · 19-10-2004 10:46AM

Indeed. I expected it to be an IFI only flick, if that even. Now I imagine it'll get a showing in the Screen and UGC and probably the Kino in Cork. And we all know that the majority of people going to see it will be to look at the naughty rude bits and see some very excited men and women...

Xcom2 · 20-10-2004 11:14PM

....and the official Censor's site has no mention of this film? Not really a shock as I'm still waiting on 3 email replies.

G

Blisterman · 24-11-2004 07:26PM

I was just wondering (without anything that will get this thread closed) What's the status for porn in ireland? Does it need to be sold from licenced shops like in the UK?

Xcom2 · 25-11-2004 02:33AM

I was alway's under the assumption that it was illegal to sell it despite the fact most sex shops sell it.
The Irish government never tried to proscribe(make the sale of or advertising of viewing card's illegal)red hot dutch,eurotica,satisfaction club tv etc.
The licensed sex shop approach is just a con to jack up the price,why would you pay 70 euro in a sex shop? Just pay 20 euro and buy it online.
TBH There is not a lot the government can do beside's open every package entering the country and spend million's trying to stop signal's from foreign satilite's.

If you want to see porn you will if you dont you wont!

X

Blisterman · 25-11-2004 03:34AM

That's strange.

Quinnsey · 29-11-2004 11:42PM

doh.ie wrote:

I'd like to see how greatly different UK and Irish cuts are. While there are many UK 15s which are 18 here (South Park stands out) and some inexplicable ones (Cider House Rules 12 in UK and 18 here?!?!?!), they are, for the most part, almost identical.

I think Cider House Rules earned such a high rating becuase it has an abortion theme. It's sickening that there is just one man who decides what everyone in Ireland can and can't see, and has abosolutly no accountability whatsoever or any compulsion to explain his decisions.

At least Showgirls has been unbanned

Hugh Hefner · 29-11-2004 11:56PM

Maybe so but I don't have problems with the curent censor. He hasn't made any bad descisions and he has explained the whole 15 (UK) = 18 (Ire.). It's because we only have 15PG in cinemas and 15PG is lower than 15. Therefore if something is boarderline 15-18 (UK) then over here it'll usually be 18 because 15PG would be too low.

Quinnsey · 30-11-2004 12:15AM

I still find it suspicious that films with a positive religious messages get low ratings (Passion of Christ UK: 18 IRE: 15PG) and films with a negative religious message get higher ratings (Saved! UK: 12 USA: PG-13 IRE 15PG).

Miguel_Sanchez · 28-12-2004 02:44AM

Gileadi wrote:

on the subject of censorship

im assuming Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is banned here,but is it the case in many eu places...been trying to get a hold of it for awhile now

I've never heard anything about it being banned in Ireland. I'm almost positive that I've seen it for rent in video shops.

Agent Orange · 28-12-2004 02:05PM

Fear and Loathing isn't banned.
Showgirls is still banned.

Irish Film Censor's Office

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