29/11/2002

The French film industry is up in arms against a proposal made by the Parliamentary Commission for Social Affairs for the establishment of a two-fold control of the French film ratings system. Currently, the ministry for culture and communications alone is responsible for evaluating the rating of each film released in France, and on 26 November, a ministry spokesman came out in support of maintaining the current status quo. Should the amendments pass, films would also have to be seen and evaluated by the ministry for health and family too.
On 28 November, ARP (the writers, directors and producers association) and BLIC (Bureau de liaison des industries cinématographiques) announced their opposition to two amendments to the “UMP” bill that regulates the broadcast on television of violent and/or pornographic films. The UMP bill is scheduled to be discussed in Parliament on 12 December.
The members of ARP feel that the introduction of a two-fold ratings system would create a dangerous precedent for the entire creative process. “This amendment would turn cinema into the scapegoat in the fight against violence on television. However, only 3 per cent of all programmes aired on French television are films and most importantly, the creative process of the film industry in France already has the most efficient and best controlled system of protection of minors against violence and/or pornography in existence”.

(Translated from French)