21 May 2003

CLASSIFICATION FEES CUT FOLLOWING RECORDYEAR FOR THE BBFC

A record year for the BBFC was revealedin the Board's Annual Report published today.Almost 12,000 works were classified in 2002 and this, together withincreased efficiencies, means that fees will be reduced for the second time inless than 12 months.

Announcing the fee reduction RobinDuval, Director of the BBFC, said:

The record number of films andvideos detailed in the Annual Report, combined with the efficiency and hardwork of the staff of the BBFC, means that as an independent non profit makingbody we are able once again to reduce the classification fees by which we arefunded. This immediate 10 per cent cutwill be the second such cut in less than 12 months. 2002 saw a 15 per cent increase in submissions over 2001, whichwas itself a record year, and the BBFC's workload has more than doubled in thelast four years. While we are only athird of the way through this year there is no sign of a reduction insubmissions as the cinema and home entertainment industries continue to thrive.

More works were cut in 2002 than inprevious years. In part that is simplybecause more works were submitted. Theincrease also partly reflects a greater desire by distributors for cuts toachieve lower and more commercially viable ratings. A number of works were also cut in line withthe Board's continuing tough stance on sexual violence.

2002 was an important, as well asbusy year for us. The '12A' certificatewas introduced for cinema films, the first change in cinema categories since1989 when the old '12' rating was introduced.It came into effect on 30 August following a pilot in Norwich and anationwide survey and allows children under 12 who are accompanied by an adultto see the film. The new category hasbeen very well received both by the public and the industry. The requirement that '12A' rated films carrya short informative sentence about the content of the film in all publicity,including posters, TV commercials and local newspaper cinema listings, is nowwell established. Indeed, thisConsumer Advice is now widely available in the publicity material for manyfilms in the other classification categories as well. This information is automatically generated by the BBFC as partof the classification service.

Controversy is never far away and in2002 claims were made about a largely unseen French film Irreversible which were not entirely supported by the work when it eventually arrived forclassification. The Board passed ituncut because it did not breach the Board's published Guidelines on possibleharm, sexual violence or anything else.Not surprisingly, the prophesied public outcry when the film wasreleased did not materialise.

In introducing the Annual Report theBoard's new President, Sir Quentin Thomas, said:

It is of the essence that the Boardand its decisions should enjoy public confidence. The Guidelines reflect the requirements and expectations of thepublic, but to retain the public's confidence the Board must keep in touch withtheir views on a regular basis. That iswhy, later this year, it will embark once more on the process of reviewing theGuidelines through public consultation, taking the views also of interested andexpert parties, and the industry itself.The Board hopes to achieve a revised and updated version before the endof 2004.

The BBFC Annual Report is availablefrom the BBFC and on the BBFC website.

Public Enquiries: 020 7440 1570

Press Enquiries SueClark: 0207440 3285

Press Office Manager: 0207440 0383

Out of Hours Mobile: 07946 423719