I was wanting to wait to watch A SERBIAN FILM when it was released in the UK, but now it seems that I'll have to see it online if I am ever to see the whole film. The BBFC apparently demanded almost 50 seperate cuts to the film (about four minutes of footage) for an 18 certificate. Without a certificate, the folks at UK horror festival Frightfest sought the permission of Westminster Council (final power over film exhibition in the UK lies not with BBFC but with individual councils) to screen the film uncut. They were refused.
Frightfest's Alan Jones said
"FrightFest has decided not to show A Serbian Film in a heavily cut version because, as a festival with a global integrity, we think a film of this nature should be shown in its entirety as per the director's intention."
If a festival can't show it uncut, then we will likely never see this film released uncut here. It's a real shame, because I imagine that A SERBIAN FILM was a big draw for this year's Frightfest (and it's not as if that audience wouldn't know what it was in for).
I'll have more on the BBFC in coming days, because there are signs they are beginning to come down harder on horror again, after 15 years of liberalisation.
No comments:
Post a Comment