- British Board of Film Classification was conducting five-yearly study on ratings
- Panel shown three movies with sexual violence found rating should be raised
- One film shown was Wind River, film depicting rape and murder of 18-year-old woman released last year after Harvey Weinstein abuse allegations
Films that depict rape and sexual violence are to be given an automatic 18 rating to reflect changing public attitudes in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement.
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) was conducting its five-yearly study and found that many believed that 15 ratings for films containing sexual violence should be raised to 18, reports the Telegraph.
A panel of adults and teenagers were shown three films that depicted sexual violence that had been rated 15 by the BBFC.
The panel found that all of the films had been wrongly rated. One film was Wind River, a film released last year after the Harvey Weinstein abuse allegations emerged that features a flashback scene of the rape and murder of an 18-year-old woman.
Films that depict sexual violence will be given an automatic 18 rating in Britain to reflect changing attitudes in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement (file photo)
A panel was shown a number of films containing sexual violence that had been rated 15, including Wind River (pictured), which depicts the rape and murder of an 18-year-old woman. The panel found all of the films had been inappropriately rated and should be raised to 18
The other two films the panel found should be reclassified were In Between and Don’t Breathe.
Other films that are currently 15 than could become 18s are Precious, which is about a 16-year-old girl who is sexually abused by her father; Deadpool, which is rated R (restricted) in the US for strong violence; and Red Sparrow which features scenes of sexual violence.
BBFC’s chief executive David Austin said higher ratings would be introduced if follow-up research confirmed the findings at the NSPCC’s conference on children’s safety online.
Red Sparrow (pictured) could soon have its rating increased from 15 to 18 because of its sexual violence, despite the removal of a sadistic violence scene
He said: ‘We have 92 per cent approval ratings [about ratings decisions] and the reason for that is that we consult the public.’
After the last consultation cycle five years ago the BBFC had a similar stance change when they tightened restrictions on films where there was any suggestion victims enjoyed rape in films containing sexual violence.
The worldwide #MeToo movement against sexual assault and harassment was prompted by over 20 women accusing Harvey Weinstein of assault. He has denied all the claims against him.
A BBFC spokesman told the Telegraph: ‘A general trend we found was that people seemed to find the fact the scenes occurred within recognisable ‘real world’ settings an aggravating factor, because it made them feel as if this was something that could happen to them.’
Deadpool (pictured), which is already rated R for restricted in the US over its strong violence, could also face a ratings increase
Precious (pictured), which features a 16-year-old girl who is sexually abused by her father, could also have its rating changed
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