The DA has slammed the decision by the Film and PublicationBoard’s Appeal Tribunal to re-classify the film Inxeba to a rating of X18.
DA national spokesperson, Phumzile van Damme, said that “X18 is one of the most severe ratings a film or publication can receive, one step away from an outright ban.”
She said this rating means that the film can only be “distributed from designated adult premises” and “cannot be screened in cinemas or any other platform that is not a designated adult premise as defined by the Film and Publications Act no 96 of 1996.”
“This means that the film will have to be pulled from cinemas and only allowed to be shown at stores with licenses to distribute pornographic material,” said Van Damme.
She said it “is a shame that the FPB’s Appeal Tribunal buckled to pressure from patriarchs and homophobes, instead of siding with the Constitution, the supreme law of the land”.
Van Damme said the decision by the FPB is not in the best interest of the public, but rather an attempt to preserve patriarchal ideas of masculinity and tradition.
“We are obviously disappointed in the outcome, given how the FBP has classified an important work of art that explores themes around masculinity, love, and identity as an X-rated film,” said producer Cait Pansegrouw.
“This is one of the most severe ratings a film can receive. It means that the film has been pulled from cinemas, making it impossible for people to watch it anywhere other than adult exhibition facilities,” added Helen Kuun, MD of Indigenous FilmDistribution. “We have sought advice from legal representatives, who are studying the decision, and we will advise on our way forward imminently.”
The film has received criticism from members and authorities of various cultural and Christian faith communities, who are currently participating in an Indabaconvened in Boksburg by the Commission for the Protection and Promotion of cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL).
“We were really committed to participating in the Indaba so we could have an open dialogue and find one-another in a structured and constructive process, where all parties invited were certain of their rights and how they would be protected,”Pansegrouw said.
“Unfortunately, the Commission did not provide us with the relevant details and assurances we requested to enable our participation.”