Irish Film Classification Office
| Established: | 1923 |
| Film Censor (Official Censor of Films): | John Kelleher |
| Deputy Censor: | Ger Connolly |
| Budget: | Unknown |
| Employees: | 21 |
The Irish Film Censor's Office (IFCO) (Irish: Oifig Scrúdóir na Scannán) 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. The office is alternatively referred to as simply the Film Censor's Office.
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.
Staff
The office consists of 21 staff members:
- Film Censor (Official Censor of Films) - John Kelleher
- Deputy Censor - Ger Connolly
- 10 Assistant Censors
- Office Manager
- 6 Civil Servants from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
- 2 Projectionists
Certificates
Cinematic certificates
The current cinematic certificates that are issued are:
- G - General - Suitable for all
- PG - Parental Guidance - Parents are strongly advised to accompany younger children
- 12A - Minimum age for admission is 12, but younger children may be admitted if accompanied by an adult (12PG until late 2004)
- 15A - Minimum age for admission is 15, but younger children may be admitted if accompanied by an adult (15PG until late 2004)
- 16 - Minimum age for admission is 16
- 18 - Minimum age for admission is 18
NOTE: In "12A" and "15A" the "A" denotes "Adult".
DVD/VHS certificates
The current certificates for DVD and VHS that are issued are:
- G - General - Suitable for all
- PG - Parental Guidance - Parents are strongly advised to watch with younger children
- 12RA (no longer used) - Suitable for people aged 12 and over, but people under this age may view with an adult, but not to be supplied to someone below that age.
- 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).
Certificate Logos
Cinema
DVD/VHS
The DVD/VHS certificates are always the certificate surrounded by an octagon, followed by the words "FILM CENSOR'S OFFICE" and "OIFIG SCRÚDÓIR NA SCANNÁN", which are then surrounded by another, larger, octagon. The colours are cyan and white, but the order they appear in varies.
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 first prohibition notice for a video game was issued for Manhunt 2 in 2007, a game which is also banned by the BBFC. [1].
Appeals
All decisions made with regard to certification, may be appealed for up to 6 months after the certificate is initially issued.
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)
Other information
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 arthouse 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.
The "16" certificate was introduced in December 2004 after complaints about the "15PG" certificate being awarded to Bad Santa,[citation needed] which also led to the change from "12PG" to "12A" and "15PG" to "15A". Ironically, out of all the many complaints made to talk shows, cinemas, etc., the Office itself only received two.
9 Songs, in October 2004, became the first film featuring explicit sex scenes to receive a certificate, criteria which had led to the banning of Baise-Moi in 2000.
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 pornogaphic 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 movie Steal Runaway.
In an unusual move, four orders were issued at once, or at least reported at one, in the 19 January 2007 Iris Oifigiúil. These covered the video releases of four pornographic films. No other orders have been issued to date in 2007.
In recent years a "Consumer Warning" on trailers and advertising has been given in some cases, in exchange for a lower certificate, such as on Veronica Guerin, downrated to 15A from 18. This warning provides a more detailed description of the content than a rating figure can in some circumstances. Occasionally borderline cases, such as 28 Weeks Later, are not warned on marketing materials, but only on the IFCO website, which all advertisements must carry the URL of.
On the commentary track of the 2004 "2 Disc Special Edition" DVD for the film Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, Terry Jones stated that to his knowledge Ireland had only banned four movies, three of which he had directed: The Meaning of Life, Monty Python's Life of Brian and Personal Services.
Citicism
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 fom the board being considered too overzealos 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 givin solely due to the homosexual content of the films.
Relationship with BBFC
Packaging of videos and DVDs is usually specific to each of Ireland and the UK, but often a video or DVD would be released with a British cover and the Irish censorship rating stuck over the British one until recently. Actual DVDs however are often produced for both countries and carry two ratings; for example, Jerry Bruckheimer's King Arthur carries both an Irish "15" and British "12" rating or Borat which carries the Irish 18 certificate and the BBFC's 15 certificate.
Previously it was prohibited, by the BBFC, for DVD/VHS packaging to carry any other logos of ratings. However, this was changed in 2004.[1] The change allowed for Irish ratings to also be displayed on the same box, if they were the same. The only exception is a dual labelled General/Universal, due to the fact that the ratings' meanings are actually the same. Dual labelled discs continue to be permitted, even if the rating is not the same.
References
- ^
"UK and Eire Dual Category Symbols" (Press release). BBFC. 2004-05-11. Retrieved 2007-05-15.
{{cite press release}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)