Ross and fellow film-lovers and thinkers,
I am appalled at the censorship board's decision to ban a film such as
Ken Park, and furthermore, to have pulled it out of screening from not
only mainstream theatrical release, but from the Sydney Film Festival,
when it was already originally in the program. The censors did not even
consider a special classification for film festival screenings
altogether. To think that Australia is a "democratic" country and yet,
someone else dictates what we are to see is a disappointment, to say the
least.
And I don't know about you Ross, (as I was unfortunately unable to
attend the attempted screening of the film last night) but watched the
interview on Lateline of Maureen O'Shea (Head of Film, Lit
Classification Office) and Margaret Pomeranz (Film Critic and a member
of Free Cinema -- a group who organised the screening) -- Maureen's
comments were that she was "only applying the rules that there shouldn't
be actual sex in a film" -- there's a scene of a boy masturbating --
which she thinks was too long -- 2 minutes -- and also because she can't
rate this film as X-rated -- "because he had tied around his neck a belt
which was attached to the door" -- because according to her, X-rated
films apparently can't have fetish in it...I mean, really! This woman
has clearly lost her sense of judgement -- she can only "apply" or
"conform" to what she calls "community values" -- and this is when
Margaret said -- "well, where is my community then? How does your ruling
include the values of the film community" and she lists a number of
films (some of which Ross has already mentioned) when they have appealed
and lost, again and again. Not to mention how dangerous it is to only
"apply the rules" without using your own sense of judgment.
I must recall an interview by Margaret last year, where Breillat
commented on the banning of films (and specifically to her film
"Romance") -- that the country which exercises this kind of censorship
is clearly not a "mature or adult country" and for her, it means that
with this kind of mentality, the people involved are clearly unable to
make decisions that reflect a sense of the judicial or are able to make
judgement of any accuracy and they are themselves, are not only not
ready for her films, but in fact, are not ready for any kind of
judgement, including political ones.
with that and no Ken Park, not to mention that Margaret was actually
charged last night -- even though the film (CD) was conviscated and the
film was not shown at all to a full house at the Balmain Town Hall... it
is a tragic state of affairs.
Janice
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Janice Tong
Cinema Studies
Department of Art History and Theory
University of Sydney
Sydney NSW 2006
Australia
Ph: 61 2 9351 6908
Fx: 61 2 9351 7323
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