A record year for the BBFC was revealed in the Board's Annual Report published today. Almost 12,000 works were classified in 2002 and this, together with increased efficiencies, means that fees will be reduced for the second time in less than 12 months.
Announcing the fee reduction Robin Duval, Director of the BBFC, said:
“The record number of films and videos detailed in the Annual Report, combined with the efficiency and hard work of the staff of the BBFC, means that as an independent non profit making body we are able once again to reduce the classification fees by which we are funded. This immediate 10 per cent cut will be the second such reduction in less than 12 months. 2002 saw a 15 per cent increase in submissions over 2001, which was itself a record year, and the BBFC's workload has more than doubled in the last four years. While we are only a third of the way through this year there is no sign of a reduction in submissions as the cinema and home entertainment industries continue to thrive.
“More works were cut in 2002 than in previous years. In part that is simply because more works were submitted. The increase also partly reflects a greater desire by distributors for cuts to achieve lower – and more commercially viable – ratings. A number of works were also cut in line with the Board's continuing tough stance on sexual violence.
“2002 was an important, as well as busy year for us. The '12A' certificate was introduced for cinema films, the first change in cinema categories since 1989 when the old '12' rating was introduced. It came into effect on 30 August following a pilot in Norwich and a nationwide survey and allows children under 12 who are accompanied by an adult to see the film. The new category has been very well received both by the public and the industry. The requirement that '12A' rated films carry a short informative sentence about the content of the film in all publicity,including posters, TV commercials and local newspaper cinema listings, is now well established. Indeed, this Consumer Advice is now widely available in the publicity material for many films in the other classification categories as well. This information is automatically generated by the BBFC as part of the classification service.
“Controversy is never far away and in 2002 claims were made about a largely unseen French film Irreversible which were not entirely supported by the work when it eventually arrived for classification. The Board passed it uncut because it did not breach the Board's published Guidelines on possible harm, sexual violence or anything else. Not surprisingly, the prophesied public outcry when the film was released did not materialise.”
In introducing the Annual Report the Board's new President, Sir Quentin Thomas, said:
“It is of the essence that the Board and its decisions should enjoy public confidence. The Guidelines reflect the requirements and expectations of the public, but to retain the public's confidence the Board must keep in touch with their views on a regular basis. That is why, later this year, it will embark once more on the process of reviewing the Guidelines through public consultation, taking the views also of interested and expert parties, and the industry itself. The Board hopes to achieve a revised and updated version before the end of 2004.”
The BBFC Annual Report is available from the BBFC and on the BBFC website.
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