Film censorship in the Republic of Ireland

During the early and mid-20th century, the original Film Censors Office heavily cut films and videos for rental release, or placed high age ratings on them. Figures released by the Film Censors Office state that 2,500 films received theatrical performance bans, and over 11,000 films were cut, between the 1920s and 1980s. Films previously banned in Ireland have included Scarface (1932), A Clockwork Orange (1971), and ''Monty Python's Life of Brian'' (1979). Since the release of Michael Collins in 1996, which was rated PG in cinemas despite its depictions of "explicit cruelty", the censor's office has generally applied age ratings and has not requested cuts to films. Former head censor Sheamus Smith (who held the position between 1986 and 2002) banned several but rarely cut them as his predecessors did, despite frequent requests from distributors to secure lower certificates and wider audiences. Smith wasn't fond of his official 'Film Censor' title as he felt that the term was emotive and implied someone who "butchers or bans movies". Smith believed that a director's vision should remain intact regardless of the certificate and that "it's an arrogance for a censor or classifier to be cutting up and changing it". Current director Ger Connolly follows the same policy, although one instance of cutting involving previous censor John Kelleher exists, regarding Korean horror film The Isle. He didn't force censorship upon the film's distributor, but didn't immediately grant a certificate after viewing it on 8 September (just two days before its original release date) and "drew attention to scenes of sexual violence and explicit self-mutilation that were causing us concern". He gave them two options – either they could resubmit it for a second viewing/re-assessment or submit a censored version to secure a certificate. The distributor, Tartan, went with the latter, removing 3m 15s on top of 1m 50s already removed by the BBFC showing animal cruelty, specifically shots of a drowning bird and mutilated fish, which earned them an 18 certificate on 29 September – the changes weren't legally required but sped up the release process. == Legislation ==

The main legislation under which Irish films are rated and censored include: • The Censorship of Films Act, 1923 was an act "to provide for the official censoring of cinematographic pictures and for other matters connected therewith". It established the office of the Official Censor of Films and a Censorship of Films Appeal Board (see William Magennis) and that no film be exhibited in public without a certificate. • The Censorship of Films Act, 1923 was amended by the Censorship of Films (Amendment) Act, 1925, in connection with advertisements for films. It was amended by the Censorship of Films (Amendment) Act, 1930 to extend the legislation to "vocal or other sounds" accompanying pictures. • The Emergency Powers Act 1939 dealt with the preservation of the State in time of war and contained provisions relating to the censorship of communications, including mail, newspapers and periodicals. • The Censorship of Films (Amendment) Act 1970 allowed films to be resubmitted for certification seven years after being rejected. • The Video Recordings Act, 1989 adds video/DVD recordings to the Film Censor's responsibility to examine. A different classification can be given than the same feature film was give but the censor cannot refuse to grant a certificate for a video if a certificate is in force for the same feature film. == Notable banned or cut films ==

While a number of films were formerly banned or cut by the Film Censor's Office, a review in 2000 meant that many of these have since been un-banned and rated anywhere from G to 18. During that review process it was decided that no more films would be banned for either cinema or video release, but some bans are still in place. Prior to the Video Recordings Act 1989, many films which were banned in the cinema were freely available on video tape to anyone in Ireland regardless of age. A notable recent ban was that of Boy Eats Girl in 2005, a film starring Samantha Mumba, due its graphic depiction of a suicide attempt. Following an appeal, it was passed uncut with a 15A rating, far from the highest possible. The listed year refers to when the film was banned by the Office, not necessarily as the original release date: == Film ratings ==

Eight film rating categories exist, although a film may have been re-rated by the time of its video/DVD release. There are three former categories no longer in use: The G, PG and 18 certifications have the same principles on video, but some 18s films may be denied a video release certificate. Films which are banned and do not have an appeal lodged, or which fail on appeal, have an enforcement noticed published in Iris Oifigiúil, the state's journal. The most recent enforcement notice, , appeared on 20 September 2005 journal, and was the first of the year. Revocation notices are also published in the journal, where a film has been banned and then allowed. The 2010 DVD release of the 1978 film I Spit on Your Grave is the most recent instance of an IFCO ban. == Differences between jurisdictions ==

Ratings usually match those of the UK's film classification body, or are one level higher or lower, but rare disparities exist spanning further. The animated comedy, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, was rated 18 in Ireland for "vulgarity and toilet humour", which Sheamus Smith "didn't think a 15-year-old really needed to be exposed to". However, the BBFC recognised "the obvious teenage audience for the work, for whom none of the language would come as a surprise", and rated it 15 in the UK for "frequent coarse language and crude sexual references". Examples of wider variances include the 1990 boxing drama Rocky V, rated PG in the UK for "moderate violence and mild language", but 15 in Ireland - upon original release, Smith objected to the "extreme violence" of the final street fight. UIP appealed for an "under 12's accompanied" certificate, which was unanimously vetoed. The 1996 historical drama Michael Collins was rated 15 in the UK for "strong violence and strong language", but only PG in Ireland. In what was described as an "unprecedented move", Smith stated that the film was a "landmark in Irish cinema" and that the film should be "available to the widest possible Irish cinema audience". Head video censor Audrey Conlon advocated for a 15, on the basis that abortion was an important subject for that age group to discuss. Smith, however, felt the "matter-of-fact" treatment of abortion was inappropriate, given the then-current context of the subject in the country. == Exceptions ==

The restrictions applied to commercial cinemas did not apply to film clubs. The Irish Film Theatre (1977–1984), its predecessor, the Irish Film Society and its successor, the Irish Film Institute, specialised for decades in showing arthouse films that were uncut because films shown privately were not required to be examined by the Censor's Office. The National Film Institute (later Irish Film Institute) had originally been set up to comply with the 1939 encyclical Vigilanti Cura. At one time this gave rise to a legal anomaly where the 35 mm prints of a particular film would to be required to have any "cuts" mandated by the Film Censors Office whereas the 16 mm prints were not, on the erroneous belief that all 16 mm prints were destined for private film clubs. In practice, some commercial cinemas in smaller towns as well as "travelling cinemas" (often showing films in village halls owned by the Catholic Church) were only equipped to show the 16 mm prints. The closure of virtually all of these smaller cinemas (owing to the rising popularity of television and video) has meant that nowadays the only places showing these 16 mm prints are bona fide film clubs. == See also ==