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.”
07 Oct 11 | Digital Freedom, Index Index, minipost
A draft law has been published by the Slovakian Ministry of Finance which could result in the blocking of some web servers. The bill would mean that web servers that provide online gambling without a license would be put on a list, which would be updated twice a month, and blocked by internet providers. Critics have warned that under this law, Facebook would also be blocked completely, due to the availability of online roulette and and poker games. An online petition created by Society for Open Information Technologies (SOIT) has been signed by thousands of citizens.
06 Oct 11 | Egypt, Middle East and North Africa
Several Egyptian writers and journalists published blank columns in the country’s newspapers, in protest against the “military interference” of the press.
A number of independent writers, including Belal Fadl, Naglaa Bedir and Tarek El-Shenawy, wrote only a uniform note in their regular columns: “I did not write today in protest against censorship, confiscation of newspapers and the presence of military censors on papers.”
Other opinion columnists from the daily El-Youm El-Sabee newspaper — Abdel Rahman Youssef, Akram El-Kasas, Saied El-Shahat and Alaa El-Shafei — followed the lead of the lead, also leaving their columns blank.
The “blank columns” campaign follows a range of recent attacks on the press from authorities. Recently, there have been two raids on the Al Jazeera offices within a month, editions of two newspapers have been seized and destroyed, features have been blocked, and official warnings have been sent to Egyptian satellite TV channels regarding the content of political programmes.
Some writers, including Amr Hamzawy from newspaper Shorouk, wanted to join the campaign, but were prevented from doing so by their editors.
“I wanted to leave my column blank today but I couldn’t, so, instead, I am writing an opinion piece under the name of ‘Whitening the Column’ about the campaign,” Hamzawy told Ahram Online.
It is believed that the government is planning a further clampdown on the media ahead of parliamentary polls next month.
03 Oct 11 | Uncategorized
The controversial play Saved by Edward Bond is set to be performed in London later this month. The play, which hasn’t been staged in the capital in 25 years, will feature at the Lyric Hammersmith throughout October.
Initially staged in 1965 at the Royal Court Theatre, the piece — which has rarely been performed — explores the lives of a working-class family and a group of young thugs in south London. There was uproar when it was refused a license by the Lord Chamberlain in the 60s. Particularly opposed to the scene in which the thugs stoned a baby to death, the Lord Chamberlain decreed it inappropriate, and critics were disgusted.
The theatre went underground, staging the production in a private club performance, attempting to sneak through a legal loophole, but it was unsuccessful and the Royal Court was prosecuted. During the court case, Laurence Olivier led the theatre community to defend theatrical freedom, supporting the theory that theatre must address current problems. The Royal Court lost the case, but the court case and the scandal in which the theatre and the play found themselves is widely regarded as the fundamental turning point for the abolition of stage censorship, which occurred in 1968.
Director Sean Holmes’ take on the play is described by the Lyric Hammersmith as “a disturbing and visionary account of life in the modern city”.
“Saved” will run at Lyric Hammersmith from 06 October – 05 November 2011
