Media release

Friday 19 November 2004

More than Slap and Tickle

A decision by the Office of Film and Literature classification to rate '9 Songs' as X18+ will ensure pornography will remain within the ranks of pornography where it belongs.

Salt Shakers CEO Peter Stokes said  "had anything less than an X Classification for  '9 Songs' would have opened the floodgates for all sorts of pornography  (actual sex) to be shown in regular cinemas , on DVD  and eventually on TV.

"So called 'Film Critic' Margaret Pomeranz seems more willing to criticise the regulators than the movies. She appears to regard every film as an 'art film' despite the actual content, just as long as it has sex in it," Mr Stokes said.

"'9 Songs' was a deliberate attempt to push the boundaries and test the very loose censorship guidelines which say sex scenes must be 'in context'. If you write about a sexual relationship the sex must be 'in context', but thankfully the censors were not taken in," he said.

"If Pomeranz and the director had their way how long would it be before actual sex would be freely available to children in lounge-rooms throughout Australia in the name of 'art'! "

While some may decry the X classification as an intervention into freedom of expression and art, the decision to impose it ensures the blurry line between art and pornography will not merge, that this pornography will not be readily available on DVD and therefore not  available to, or imposed  upon,  impressionable young minds.

Peter Stokes is available for interview on 0413 084 145.

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