BBFC tightens guidelines on depictions of sexual violence

The BBFC (the British Board Of Film Classification) periodically review their guidelines on what content is suitable for each age certificate. It's fascinating (for me) to note how British society and values have change by looking at how films are classified ad reclassified. For example, I was surprised the the recent Yorgos Lanthimos film The Favourite was awarded a '15' certificate despite including 'the C-word' seven times (I counted). In previous years, this would have guaranteed an automatic '18' certificate, though the context of the swearing must also be taken in to account.

The BBFC have now updated their guidelines to state the minimum restriction a film can receive if it depicts scenes of rape is a '15' certificate. The depiction of sexual violence in films raises an interesting moral point. While swearing is easily imitable by young people (and older audiences), it hardly causes the immediate degradation of society, and our attitude towards swearing has slowly shifted. However this new ruling reflects a very definite change in societal attitudes. While rape and sexual violence are extremely important topics to explore, at what stage does it become exploitation, included merely to entertain the audience? Is a younger teenager going to be able to analyse the scene to the level of an adult? Will the scene cultivate an ideological perspective that sexual violence is permissible? Are some things simply out of bounds for depiction in a media product?

This ruling also means that films with rape scenes that have previously been rated as low as 12A will now need to be re-rated. It will also possibly lead to a situation where American films will e pre-cut for UK audiences, in order to ensure a more profitable ''12A' theatrical certificate. For Straight Outta Compton, there are several problematic scenes which may qualify as depictions of sexual assault, though it is important to note that the BBFC rated a '15' on the basis of "strong language, sex, violence, drug use". Clearly a particularly unpleasant scene depicting the sexual humiliation of a groupie is just 'sex' in the eyes of the BBFC.

When considering the regulation of the film industry in the UK, you should consider: how effective is film regulation by the BBFC anyway? For theatrical and retail physical distribution, it has absolute say in the United Kingdom, yet online it's influence is lacking. Streaming services such as Netflix are able to flout rules, or at the very least make it incredibly easy for younger teenagers to watch adult films like Straight Outta Compton. Illegal file-sharing sites are out of it's jurisdiction entirely. Ultimately, the question you as media students must ask is:

To what extent is the regulation of the film industry effective in an age of digital convergence?

Note the 'unrated' qualifier. In the US, it is legally possible to release a film tat has not been given an age certificate, though many cinemas will flat-out refuse exhibition, meaning it is usually left as a blu-ray selling point...