Film censor ponders new 16 certificate

A new 16 certificate could soon be introduced for films shown in Irish cinemas, it was revealed today.

Film censor John Kelleher said the the gap between a 15PG and an 18 classification was often too wide.

“I have reluctantly given an 18 to certain films which are absolute borderline,” he said.

“I’m in talks with the industry – they are very supportive because they would hate to see the 15PG certificate go.”

The first national survey of parents on issues relating to children’s film viewing revealed that many parents felt the Irish Film Censor Office (IFCO) ratings should be more lenient.

Mr Kelleher said the survey offered valuable insight into what parents were thinking and would certainly play a role in future classification decisions.

“The feedback we get from concerned parents is always from people who feel we are not strict enough but this survey is absolutely clear – a significant majority think we are too strict,” he said.”

Over 40% of parents believe many 12PG films are rated too strictly and 45% consider 15PGs too harshly rated.

The survey highlights widespread confusion as to what PG actually stands for - a PG denotes ‘Parental Guidance’ while a 15PG can be seen by children aged under 15 if ‘Parent or Guardian Accompanied.’

As a result the IFCO is considering renaming it a 15AA so as to clearly portray the ‘adult accompanied’ classification.

The primary concern of parents is drug taking and violence, followed by racial references and underage drinking. Sexual activity and nudity were a distant third.

More than 85% of parents believe they should have the final say on what their children can or cannot watch, while 93% of all parents regularly check the classification ratings.

A new website will ensure parents receive optimum advice about every film hitting Irish cinemas, including details of violence, sex and bad language.

The site, www.ifco.ie, explains the reasons behind each classification and will be updated with information about new releases every Friday.

Mr Kelleher said: “It is clear that the vast majority of parents want to play a hands-on role where their children’s viewing is concerned.

“I believe that with the relatively recent move from old style censorship to today’s age-related classification, we should be offering parents something more than a basic rating decision.”

He said parents should be offered the relevant information to make informed viewing choices and described the IFCO website as useful and consumer-friendly.

The survey was carried out for IFCO by Lansdowne Market Research which surveyed over 250 parents of children attending 12 post-primary, randomly selected schools.

In October, the second phase of the research project will report on the adolescents’ perspective on film classification.