The Right2Know Campaign and the South African Screen Federation have welcomed the court ruling on the censorship of the award-winning film Inxeba (The Wound).
On Thursday North Gauteng High Court judge, Joseph Raulinga, overturned the X18 classification imposed on the film by the Film and Publication Board’s Appeal Tribunal.
The classification placed the film in the same category as pornography.
In his ruling, Justice Raulinga said the film's reclassification by the Appeals' Tribunal was legally flawed and should be reviewed and set aside.
His ruling upholds the initial rating of 16 age restriction.
“We celebrate this judgement as a victory for freedom of expression for all, inclusive of the LGBTQI community. It represents a clear and unambiguous blow against the kind of censorship carried out by the Film and Publications Board’s Appeals Tribunal,” they said.
“The Constitution protects the freedom of artists to raise controversial conversations through their work, and should be equally protected by the law to do so in a democratic society.”
The lobby groups said that “this judgement gives a much needed boost for the protection of freedom of expression and more especially the right to include Queer bodies’ stories in the narratives told through different media platforms.”
“All media should remain free and diverse,” they said.
