15 Dec 11 | Index Index, minipost
The Chinese government is planning to tighten its already strict film censorship rules. A proposal from the State Council, released on their website earlier today, is part of a draft law which proposes to ban anti-government sentiments and messages of religious fanaticism from the cinema screen. If passed, the bill, which comes during a box-office boom in China, will increase the number of banned subjects in Chinese cinema to 13. Another proposed ban could also prevent any film from “promoting” illegal drugs or terrorist activity.
10 Oct 11 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
On 8 October, Actress Marzieh Vafamehr was sentenced to 90 lashes and a year in jail for her performance in a film exploring censorship of artists in Iran, according to reports from Kalameh.com, an Iranian opposition website. Vafamehr was in a controversial film called “My Tehran for Sale”, which is about a young actress who takes on a secret life in order to pursue her artistic dreams, after having her theatre work banned by Tehran authorities. Vafamehr, who was initially arrested after the July release of the film, was released on bail later that month. Her lawyer reportedly filed to appeal on 9 October.
07 Oct 11 | Index Index, minipost
An initially banned horror film has been given an “18” rating, after a number of cuts. Human Centipede 2 was originally banned in the UK for posing a “real risk of harm,” in June, but after 32 cuts, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) granted it certification ahead of its DVD release. BBFC president Sir Quentin Thomas said that the sequel, in which a disturbed loner conducts bizarre human experiments, would still be difficult for viewers to watch, but said that the cuts “address all of the concerns raised when the board refused a classification.”
21 Dec 10 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost, News and features
Iranian director Jafar Panahi has been sentenced to six years in prison for “colluding in gathering and making propaganda against the regime”. Panahi has also been banned from directing films or speaking to the press for 20 years.
