Omigosh... there are new censorship coming into town..... already our own censorship is bad enough..... what more now that there is new changes to this censorship thing....

Published: Monday March 8, 2010 MYT 3:50:00 PM

New film censorship rules on March 15

By DHARMENDER SINGH

PUTRAJAYA: The changes being made to the Film Censorship Guidelines -- the first in 14 years -- would come into effect on March 15, said Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Mahmood Adam.

He claimed the changes had been thoroughly discussed and agreed to by all concerned parties including directors, producers, script-writers and distributors.

He said some of the items added to the guidelines had actually come from those in the industry while others took into account “current trends and lifestyles that might conflict with the norms in Malaysia.”

“There are some changes that some of the representatives have asked for in the draft guidelines but these are mainly on the terms used and the spelling, so it will not be difficult to iron all of them out by the end of the week,” he said after chairing the Film Censorship Guidelines meeting here Monday.

He said he was also happy that the changes, which will also see the Film Censorship Board being less rigid in certain areas, had been well received by representatives from the industry.

Local producer and director Datuk Yusof Haslam said he was happy that the new guidelines were not as rigid as before because this would allow more films to get the approval for general viewing (U) rather than having them restricted to the 13-year-old and 18-year-old and above age groups (PG-13, 18SG, 18SX, 18PA, 18PL and 18PL).

“When films are categorised for viewing only by those aged above 13 or 18, we end up having a smaller audience and this means less revenue.

“I am also happy that there is a chance now for us to submit our scripts to the Film Censorship Board for screening so that any parts that are considered offensive would be pointed out for changes to made before shooting begins,” he said.

Another local producer and director David Teo said the guidelines were good because they clearly laid out the dos and don’ts, and this allowed producers and directors prepare their scripts accordingly.

“It is a good system that allows us to remove any parts (deemed offensive), rather than having them removed during the censorship stage,” he said.