- Irish Film Classification Office
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Irish Film Classification Office 
Established: 1923 Acting Director of Film Classification Ger Connolly Deputy Director Vacant Budget: Unknown Employees: 21 The Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO) (Irish: Oifig Aicmithe Scannán na hÉireann) is the organisation responsible for film and some video game classification and censorship within the Republic of Ireland. Where restrictions are placed by the IFCO, they are legally binding. Prior to 21 July 2008, the office was branded as the Irish Film Censor's Office, and was previously known as simply the Film Censor's Office, or, in legal references, the office of the Official Censor of Films, which was the official title of the head of the office prior to that date. The head of the office is the Director of Film Classification.
Contents
Background
The Irish Film Censor's Office was set up in 1923, in accordance with the Censorship of Films Act, 1923. This law was amended in 1930, 1972 and 1990; and a substantial revision of the law occurred in the Video Recordings Act, 1989 which extended the remit of the office to the regulation of the video importation and supply industry. On 21 July 2008 the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2008 came into force. Section 70 changes some of the provisions with regard censorship of films in the State. Section 71 renames the Film Censor as the Director of Film Classification and consequent to this, the Irish Film Censor's Office became the Irish Film Classification Office.
Staff
The office consists of 21 staff members:
- Acting Director of Film Classification - Ger Connolly
- Deputy Director - Vacant
- 10 Assistant Classifiers
- Office Manager
- 6 Civil Servants from the Department of Justice and Law Reform
- 2 Projectionists
The 10 assistant classifiers are paid €168 per day and are entitled to claim expenses on top of this. According to a freedom of information request granted to the Irish edition of the Sunday Times the assistant classifiers claimed €306,683 and expenses of €52,569 in 2007; €339,608 in fees and €49,898 in expenses in 2008; and €162,263 in fees and €21,401 in expenses for the first half of 2009. This equates to a payment of approximately €60 per film rated.[1]
Certificates
Cinematic certificates
The current cinematic certificates that are issued are:
- G – General - Suitable for all
- PG – Parental Guidance - Parents are advised to accompany younger children
- 12A – Minimum age for admission is 12, but younger children can be admitted if accompanied by an adult
- 15A – Minimum age for admission is 15, but younger children can be admitted if accompanied by an adult
- 16 – Minimum age for admission is 16.
- 18 – Minimum age for admission is 18
DVD/VHS certificates
The current certificates for DVD and VHS that are issued are:
- G – General - Suitable for all
- PG – Parental Guidance - Parents are advised to watch with children younger than 12 years old
- 12RA (no longer used) – Not suitable for people aged younger than 12 unless they view with an adult, and not to be supplied to someone below that age. Extremely rarely used, the cert was used on Father of the Bride
- 12 – Suitable for people aged 12 and over, and not to be supplied to someone below that age
- 15 – Suitable for people aged 15 and over, and not to be supplied to someone below that age
- 18 – Suitable for people aged 18 and over, and not to be supplied to someone below that age
NOTE: In "12RA" the "RA" denotes "Responsible Adult"
Standard cinematic-DVD/VHS certification crossover
This is the crossover, or change, in a certificate that will happen when a film which has been shown in cinemas, is released on DVD/VHS, BUT this only applies if:
- There is no extra material (bonuses, trailers, etc.) which is not appropriate to the main feature, and would cause it to receive a higher certificate.
- The film has not been edited (material taken out, etc.) in a way which would cause the main feature to receive a lower certificate.
If the above information applies to a DVD/VHS release, please see below the table.
The standard crossovers are as follows:
Cinema Certificate DVD/VHS Certificate G G PG PG 12A 12 15A 15 16 15/18 18 18 * The certificate "12RA" does NOT have a corresponding cinematic certificate, and thus, does not have a standard crossover (certain 12A films received the certificate before it was withdrawn in the early 2000s).
If the two rules above apply to a film's DVD/VHS release, then, generally, it will be re-rated completely, but this does not mean DVD/VHS certificates will always coincide, as occasionally (usually the DVD) one edition will contain extra features while the other doesn't, causing one to be re-rated, and the other to take a Standard Crossover (for instance, a film which received a 15A certificate in cinemas may receive a 15 certificate on VHS but an 18 certificate on DVD; usually DVDs in these circumstances will carry a label on the reverse, informing you of this).
DVD/VHS
A censor's stamp on a 2004 DVD
Until February 2009, the DVD/VHS certificates were always the certificate surrounded by an octagon, followed by the words "FILM CENSOR'S OFFICE" and "OIFIG SCRÚDÓIR NA SCANNÁN", which were then surrounded by another, larger, octagon. The colours were cyan and white, but the order they appear in varied. Although the Office was renamed in July 2008, these continued to bear the old name until February 2009, where they were altered to read "IRISH FILM CLASSIFICATION OFFICE" and its Irish equivalent.
Video games
Unlike the BBFC in the UK, which rates video games that meet certain criteria (such as very graphic violence), the Irish Film Censor's Office does not usually rate video games, leaving ratings to PEGI, unless the game's content is deemed prohibitable under section 3 (1) of the Act. Games rated by the IFCO include Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Manhunt, which were given 15 and 18 ratings, respectively.
Despite the lack of legally binding ratings, most (if not all) video game retailers attempt to prohibit the sale of PEGI 18+ rated games to people under the age of 18, and prior to PEGI ratings the same was done with BBFC 18 ratings on games (the same packaging is usually used in games sold in Ireland as in the UK).
The only prohibition notice for a video game was issued for Manhunt 2 in 2007 (which was re-rated 18).[2]
Appeals
All decisions made with regard to certification, may be appealed for up to 6 months after the certificate is initially issued. An appeal is issued to the Classification of Films Appeal Board.
Works may also be submitted for re-classification after seven years since the original certification have passed (not an appeal per se, but rather seen as an update of classification based on current standards)
Refusals and bans
Films may be refused a certificate, e.g. on grounds of obscenity. Such films may not be shown in public cinemas or sold in shops, but are not ipso facto banned and have been shown at film festivals and art house clubs such as the Irish Film Institute. These may also show films which have not been submitted for certification, as the submission fee may be prohibitive if a film is screened only a few times at a small venue.
Despite the recommendations in the 2000 review of certification that no further films be banned, bans are still occasionally issued, although usually overturned on appeal. Boy Eats Girl, a 2005 movie, was initially banned, with the option of a cut being provided to the producers. On appeal, the film was passed uncut, and granted a 15A rating.
Movies which are never submitted for cinema release in Ireland are occasionally banned on attempted video releases, although only one such order was made in 2004, banning the pornographic Anabolic Initiations 5 (IMDb link), with the appeals board upholding the censor's order. One order was issued in 2005, reiterating the ban on Deep Throat. The only order in 2006 banned the pornographic film Steal Runaway.
Films and videos banned by the Classifier/Censor include:
Title type year lifted I Spit On Your Grave film 2010 Manhunt 2[3] video game 2007 lifted I Love to Fantasize film 2007 Love @ First Byte film 2007 Wild Cards film 2007 From Dusk Til Porn film 2007 Sizzling Sex Stars film 2003 Swingers Vacation 2: Secret Games film 2003 Vampire Vixens film 2003 Blue Hotel: Caught in the Act film 2003 Blue Matrix film 2003 Bad Lieutenant film 2003 Dracula's Dirty Daughters film 2003 Baise-moi film 2002 lifted Better Sex III: How To Give a Woman Pleasure film 2002 Dark Garden film 2002 Showgirls film 1995 lifted Natural Born Killers film 1994 lifted Man Bites Dog film 1992 lifted Meet the Feebles film 1989 Monty Python's The Meaning of Life film 1983 lifted 1990 Porky's film 1982 lifted The Evil Dead film 1981 lifted Monty Python's Life of Brian film 1979 lifted 1987 Debbie Does Dallas film 1978 Emmanuelle film 1974 lifted Deep Throat film 1972 lifted A Clockwork Orange film 1971 lifted 2000 Get Carter film 1971 lifted Brief Encounter film 1945 The Great Dictator film 1940 lifted Criticism
Like many systems of entertainment classification the IFCO has been subject to backlash for several decisions they have made in the past. Most accusations stem from the board being considered too overzealous and conservative. Many titles that receive 15 certificates from the BBFC are rated 18 by the IFCO. Three titles in particular have garnered the board much harsh criticism; Election, But I'm a Cheerleader and Brokeback Mountain. While the films have little or no violent or sexual content (and are rated 15 by the BBFC) all three were given 18 certificates in Ireland, leading many to believe the certificates were given solely due to the homosexual content of the films.
However, Brokeback Mountain was rated 16 by IFCO when it was released in cinemas (its 18 rating is only on DVD). '15' in Britain means that the film is only suitable for those aged 15 years old or older, while in Ireland, the 15A-rating admits under-15s if they are accompanied by adults. 16 is an over-16 only rating, meaning that anyone under 16 will not be admitted, regardless of parental supervision, resulting in a substantial increase in adult content. Because of this, many films rated "16" for cinema, are raised to "18" for DVD or Blu-ray as there is no "16" rating for home entertainment in Ireland.
Because the IFCO is established on a statutory basis, the appeals procedure is final. Thus, where a decision by the censor to ban a film or video game is made and this ban is approved by Classification of Films Appeal Board there is no further grounds of appeal, only the option of resubmission after seven years.
See also
References
- ^ Colin Coyle Ex-politicians paid €40,000 to watch films Sunday Times 10 January 2010
- ^ http://www.ifco.ie/ifco/ifcoweb.nsf/web/news?opendocument&news=yes&type=graphic
- ^ Lane, Frederick (21 June 2007). "Manhunt 2 Under Fire Around Globe". Sci-Tech Today. http://www.sci-tech-today.com/news/Manhunt-2-Under-Fire-Around-Globe/story.xhtml?story_id=11100DKEJ9UX&full_skip=1. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
External links
Categories:- Motion picture rating systems
- Media in the Republic of Ireland
- Entertainment rating organizations
- Censorship in the Republic of Ireland
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