Film Censorship Board of Malaysia

The Film Censorship Board of Malaysia is a Malaysian government ministry that vets films. It is under the control of the Home Ministry.

The Board was established under the Film Censorship Act, and its role was revised in 2002 under an updated version of the Act. Any film that is to be screened in Malaysia must be certified by the Board. Under the provisions of the Act, no one is allowed to view any film that has not been licensed by the Board.

The same Act also bans the posession and/or screening of pornography or provocative materials. Screening of such films in public even in good faith can subject the screener to fines/imprisonment.

The Board watches the uncensored film or programme and decides whether its content is acceptable for a Malaysian audience. The film receives approval only after the Board is satisfied that the film (either without cuts or with cuts required by the Board) satisfies the rules under which the Board operates.

Films banned by the Board include Daredevil, Homerun, The Prince of Egypt and Bruno, though some were passed for release on optical media.

Rating system

Since 15 May 2010, the following ratings have been used:

Symbol	Description	TV screening time
U	General viewing for all ages	Anytime
PG13	Parental guidance is suggested for viewers under 13	Not allowed between 6:00 to 10:00 AM (weekdays), 6:00 to 12:00 PM (weekends)
18	For aged 18 and above only	10:00 PM to 6:00 AM

Films being censored/banned

Although nearly all the films below have been classified as 18 (equivalent to R in US), some films are subjected to censorship by the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia due to content deemed inappropriate to the general Malaysian population. The list below shows some films censored since 2010 (though by no means this is a complete list).

Year	Movie Name	Reason for censoring
2010	The American	Partially censored due to some sexual content in the movie.
2010	Stool Pigeon	Partially censored due to the moderate sex scenes in the movie.
2010	Piranha 3D*	Heavily censored for 6 minutes due to the sexual content, nudity and frightening scenes.
2010	Skyline	Partially censored due to sex scene in the movie.
2010	Unstoppable	Profanity censored in theatrical screenings to match PG-13 rating standard of Malaysia. Blu-ray release has its audio track intact.
2011	Burlesque	The movie is rated PG13 in most countries but it is rated 18 in Malaysia due to the strict censorship.
2011	No Strings Attached	Heavily censored for 7 minutes due to sexual content and nudity.
2011	The Mechanic	Partially censored for 4 minutes due to some sexual and nudity content in the movie.
2011	Drive Angry 3D*	Heavily censored due to the strong brutal violence and some sexual content.
2011	Black Swan	Partially censored due to the sexual and nudity content.
2011	All About Love	Partially censored due to the lesbian materials in the movie.
2011	Scream 4	Heavily censored due to the strong, bloody, violent content of the movie.
2011	Love and Other Drugs	Heavily censored due to the strong sexual content in the movie. An alternative theatrical release poster is used for advertisment in Malaysia instead of the poster used in US.
2011	Limitless	Partially censored due to some sex scenes in the movie.
2011	A Chinese Ghost Story	Partially censored due to the mild sex scene in the movie.
2011	Bridesmaids	According to Cinema Online, this movie is apparently banned in Malaysia. However, the movie is still heavily censored although it passed the censorship board afterward.
2011	Wu Xia	Partially censored due to the frightening and fighting scenes.
2011	The Hangover 2	Partially censored due to the sexual and nudity content in the movie.
2011	Blitz	Partially censored due to sexual content. Audio is only available in analog optical stereo.
2011	The Loan Shark	Some of the sex and violence scenes are censored in this local production movie.
2011	Glee The 3D Concert Movie	Some of the scenes are censored to match PG-13 rating standard of Malaysia.
2011	Horrible Bosses	Heavily censored due to the strong sexual content and language used in the movie.
2011	Conan the Barbarian	Partially censored due to some sexuality and nudity content in the movie. Violent portions of the film are intact. Suggestive lines are not subtitled.
2011	Final Destination 5	Partially censored due to brutal violence.
2011	Colombiana	Partially censored due to sexual content and brutal violence.
2011	Fright Night	Partially censored due to profanity, sexual and brutal violence content in the movie.
2011	Killer Elite (film)	Partially censored due to profanity, brutal violence, and some nudity and sexual content.

• *3D format is not available in Malaysia due to high expenses of having the studio produce an edited version of the film for Malaysian screenings.

Should the Board insist that the film be released censored even on optical media, the film is released on (subbed) VCDs and stripped down DVDs containing local distributor logos and even the Censorship Board's approval number printed on the back cover (unlike stickers used for films passed without cuts). All foreign-language audio tracks are removed and only the English (usually left intact), Malay and Mandarin subtitle tracks are available. Special features might be stripped out as well. The resulting product is thus priced significantly cheaper than import DVDs and can be easily identified.

Blu-ray releases of censored films are not available in Malaysia. Such items have to be purchased from overseas and can be subject to random Custom's inspection, which will require an Application for Permit Exemption (Pemohonan Pengecualian Permit) letter to be submitted and approved.

See also

• Censorship in Malaysia
• List of All Films Banned in Malaysia (IMDB)

External links

• Sinema Malaysia: "Editorial interview with Tuan Hj Husain Hj Shafie, Chairman Malaysia's Film Censorship Board"