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.
13 Jul 10 | Index Index, minipost
A film by director Martyn See featuring a speech by former political detainee Lim Hock Siew, has been banned by Singapore’s Information, Arts and Culture Ministry. The films shows Siew discussing the details of his internment, prompting the government to deem it “contrary to public interest” and demand its removal from YouTube. See has published details of the incident, including scans of the government’s letter to him, on his blog.
11 Jun 10 | Index Index, minipost
The Cambodian authorities have blocked a new documentary that indicts the government in the assassination of an outspoken trade union leader. Who Killed Chea Vichea? argues that Vichea, who championed better pay and working conditions for local factory workers, could not have been killed without the cooperation of Cambodia’s political elites. Two men, sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for Vichea’s murder, were released in 2004 but remain on bail.
