Alberta Film Ratings

Alberta Film Ratings is a motion picture rating system administered by the Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture of the Canadian province of Alberta, used to regulate theatrical showings of motion pictures. The Canadian territories Nunavut and the Northwest Territories also use these ratings.

Motion pictures are rated and regulated in Canada at the provincial level, and home videos are rated by the Canadian Home Video Rating System. Television broadcasts of motion pictures are regulated by the federal government through the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

Classification Process

* All movie companies in Canada send their films and film advertisements to Alberta Film Classification before they show them to the public.
* Each film is then viewed by a minimum of three full-time, professional film classifiers
* During the film screening, each classifier makes an individual written assessment of the film's content.
* Classifiers note the frequency, visual explicitness, intensity, and context of any potentially controversial material.
* The overall theme and intent of the film is the most important factor in arriving at the appropriate classification; each film is considered individually and as a whole, rather than as isolated portions taken out of context.
* The written assessments are used as a basis for discussion and the selection of an appropriate age category based on current community standards.
* Advisories are added as part of the classification when one or more elements of a film are considered to be more intense than might be expected in that rating category.
* If consensus is lacking on any aspect of this process, the majority decision prevails.

Alberta Film Classification accommodates a variety of philosophies, tastes, and lifestyles through the flexibility of rating and advisory information. Parents, guardians, and film patrons are expected to exercise individual responsibility and discretion in the selection of movie entertainment for themselves and especially for their children. The ratings of movies that have been reviewed are available for viewing on the Alberta Film Ratings website.

External links

* [http://www.cd.gov.ab.ca/albertafilmratings/ Official site]