FPB gets bad report

For more:

• Times Live: Board sadly lost the plot: iLIVE... Brigid Pohl writes "Prince Mlimandlela Ndamase said the reason the Film and Publication Board banned Of Good Report was because it contained an illegal act." Then she rightly points out that the board doesn't seem too concerned with the endless depictions of murder and violence on our TV and cinema screens.

  True, last time I looked, beating seven shades out of some bloke, or spreading his hopes and thoughts all over the pavement, was enough to get you arrested and bunged in jail.

  Meanwhile, a number of bodies have made their intentions clear...

  Over 100 concerned filmmakers including the Creative Workers Union of South Africa, the Documentary Filmmakers Association, Independent Producers Organisation, Pan African Filmmakers Federation, Cosatu, and Arterial Network convened a meeting to discuss the banning of "Of Good Report". The film had been selected as opening night film of the Durban International Film Festival but the Film and Publication Board of South Africa (FPB) prohibited screening of the film in terms of its anti-child pornography legislation.

  Film industry representatives voiced deep concern that this represented a violation of the constitutional right to free expression. International support has been added by Artsfex, an umbrella body of organisations involved in defending freedom of expression for artists.

  Attendees of the meeting registered their concern regarding this infringement on freedom of expression, and have suggested the following action:
  1. Engagement with the film and publication board - this includes the public meeting planned for 24 July during the film festival.
  2. That FPB grants a special license for a closed screening to registered festival delegates and organisations such as Childline and NGOs dealing with child protection issues.
  3. Call for intervention by the ministry of arts and culture to review the definition and application of censorship legislation in relation to freedom of creative expression.

  Also see: http://www.citypress.co.za/news/banned-state-censors-say-sugar-daddy-film-contains-child-porn/.

• BBC: Online pornography to be blocked by default, PM announces... This sounds like quite a crafty idea to me... Let's face it, how many people will have the courage to contact their service provider and specifically request access to porn? Of course, there will be some, but it's probably a safe bet that many who currently watch porn do so in the hope that it will remain a private matter between them and their fantasy world... Having to tell their service provider that "I'd like to have access to porn, please. Could you give me a hand?" might be a step too far.

  As British PM said: "In the balance between freedom and responsibility we have neglected our responsibility to children."

  Let the debate begin...

• Channel24: Pirated SA soaps sold in Africa... Either the soaps are really that good, or things are really that bad in countries around SA, with TV viewers buying pirated episodes of SA soaps to escape grim reality.