That whole Juno/Genie thing isn't the only film news making waves in Canada, and I must say -- this round of news is worse. The Globe and Mail reports that the government is looking to increase restrictions on film tax credits to help cut graphic sex and violence, while an evangelist takes credit for the whole crackdown. "Canadian Heritage officials confirmed yesterday they will be 'expanding slightly' the criteria used for denying tax credits to include grounds such as gratuitous violence, significant sexual content that lacks an educational purpose, or denigration of an identifiable group. More details are promised next week." Well, that's certainly vague, worrisome, and really ... BS. But why should you care?Think about the work created by the likes of David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, Guy Maddin, and the other filmmakers who have made international names for themselves with their cinematic art -- fare which does tap into the flames the government is looking to extinguish. Cronenberg is dead-on when he says: "The irony is that it is the Canadian films that have given us an international reputation [that] would be most at risk because they are the edgy, relatively low-budget films made by people like me and others that will be targeted by this panel." It already looks like Martin Gero's Young People F*cking, which I reviewed at TIFF, is going to be hit by these changes. Hell, it's title is one of the raciest things about it! It's about sex, but it's not some Shortbus sexfest.
Would you want a world without Crash, A History of Violence, Naked Lunch, The Sweet Hereafter, Exotica, Where the Truth Lies, The Saddest Music in the World, Brand Upon the Brain!? World peace might be a bit of an unattainable goal right now, but is it too much to ask for people to use some sense in judgment? Hey, guess what -- I've watched Shortbus, and I don't have saucy orgies. I've played violent games like Thrill Kill and watched many films like Grindhouse, but I have no desire to kill or injure anyone. I have watched Trainspotting a few times and I have never done drugs. And I know I'm not the only one.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-01-2008 @ 5:50PM
DJHajie said...
When will these groups of moralists (for lack of a better term) realize that these ideas of sex and violence are filtered through a little God given ability called judgement. The majority of people are sensible, responsible human beings that can use their judgement to determine "hey, seeing it on the screen doesn't necessarily mean I should go out and enact these same things in my own life."
And for the minority of people that do....those people should be enclosed in a NeutraBubble (a bubble providing a neutral environment where absolutely no stimuli is present to threaten or arouse violence or sexual depravity). Although the LACK of stimuli might be just as murder-spree, sexfest inspiring! You get bored in there!
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3-01-2008 @ 7:30PM
KateGee said...
I knew Harper was a fascist. I hope this Cadman scandal causes an election and fast. And I hope people stop thinking that a vote for the NDP is a wasted vote. If everyone who thought that voted, then perhaps we'd have Layton as PM. You KNOW this wouldn't happen under him.
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3-01-2008 @ 8:26PM
AJ Wiley said...
Absolutely ridiculous.
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3-01-2008 @ 9:36PM
StanleyNickels said...
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Content is never more important than context. Die Hard 2 and Saving Private Ryan both have graphic violence but saying they're the same because of it is just staggeringly stupid.
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3-01-2008 @ 9:48PM
StanleyNickels said...
I'd recommend any Canadian reader to contact their member of parliament over this, also. They're supposed to represent us, after all
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3-01-2008 @ 10:39PM
Charles Shirriff said...
That bill and what it represents is unbelievable in its lack of foresight and realization of its implications for ALL film making in Canada. Are film makers expected to guess what will pass and what won't? More likely they will go elsewhere to do their film rather than take the chance that ONE minister might take offense at something in the film.
Didn't the U.S. have a bill in 1942 (Hayes, or someone like that)? Must the Harper government follow ALL the mistakes of the U.S.?
I can hardly wait for a prohibition bill.
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3-02-2008 @ 9:56AM
Cincinnati Mike said...
The Hays Code was an internal, industry-driven initiative. Censorship? Yes. Responding to the morals of the times? Yes. Over-reaction? Maybe. But self-imposed.
Here's a Yank perspective. I'd gladly pay to see a Cronenberg-directed all-girl scene with Sarah Polley, Sandra Oh and Neve Campbell. But I don't expect my Christian (or Muslim, or whoever) neighbor's taxes to subsidize the production.
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3-03-2008 @ 10:19AM
ML said...
My Yank perspective is that given that you are already subsidizing the industry via tax credits, you shouldn't discriminate among the productions that you will subsidize according to content.
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