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Censorship Battles

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“Films don’t create violence, but suppression of our rights might….”

“Well, there are people on this planet whose tastes, while not conforming to the mainstream, are also not causing the subversion of our society in any way by having their tastes indulged. As long as this indulgence of their tastes does not harm another in the process, there can be no valid reason to attempt to protect the innocence of a fellow adult by demanding censorship”

“If these people do not like the films screened at the festival, they do not have to watch them, but for them to undertake such a pointless and disruptive exercise as they did to last years festival simply to get their way makes a mockery of the censorship laws. Please ignore these petty little people and allow the films that you have classified as being suitable for the general public to view to actually be seen”

“People like myself who attend these film festivals by our own choice are responsible adults, behaving in a mature, considered manner (we don’t neccessarily attend any or all of the films on offer) - in contrast to the childish and selfish behaviour of those who oppose the showing of some films”

“Film Festivals are specifically the place for well informed members of the public to watch films that challenge, shift and alter their perspectives. While the practices employed by the SPCS may be legitimate in the eyes of the law, the effect of their injunctions and the disruption to the festival and its patrons are characteristically close to facism. I support our chief censor in his decisions, and while I never asked for David Lane and his cronies for their opinions on what I watch, I respect their ability to voice them. Now I’d like them to respect my right to watch whatever I want to watch.”

“Christians too support a dynamic, vibrant film culture and the right of individuals to freedom of choice.”

“Censoring adults only withholds information … knowledge is power, even if it might seem distasteful to some. In this day & age of the “knowledge wave”, it is imperative that we aim to achieve a balanced view within all areas of society & technological developments. We should encourage individuals to develop an informed opinion & ethic, even if this means we must also “know our enemy”. To achieve balance, all accounts & extremes need to be considered and to deny us this will only shackle New Zealanders within the global community.”

“I don’t pay my taxes to live in a police state or have others’ views forced upon me. My right to choose is the founding cornerstone of any free society.”

“Disgusting to see a country that used to be at the forefront of social change turning into a pathetic, impotent NANNY state”

“This is the beginning of a slippery slope. Censorship has no place in a democracy. Don’t compromise civil liberties in NZ—we need to learn from America’s mistakes, not emulate them.”

“They used to burn books in Nazi Germany to prevent freedom of expression Please do not allow fascists to hide behind a veil of religious fundamentalism, whilst stripping open minded individuals of the freedom of choice to think and feel the way that they wish to. Freedom of expression in Politics , Religion and Artistic expression are the cornerstones of modern democratic society. Please do not allow my rights and the rights of others to be eroded further by small minded fundamentalist bigots.”

“Whilst these films are not for everyone, they are made with a serious intent and not designed for titilation or exploitation. To attempt to ban films (especially on hearsay) because you personally find the content offensive is to sweep important issues under the carpet. While I agree that filmakers should make their movies with tact and maturity, it is also down to the viewing public to act in the same way. To penalise these directors (and the viewers) is folly, and to draw attention to movies you would rather people not see by attempting to ban them is self defeating.”

“The censorship boundaries upheld in NZ give adequate information as to what the content of the said piece will be like. I do not need some cardy wearing 65 year old telling me what I can and cannot see. I am perfectly capabable of making my own mind up”

“I find it appalling that someone would state that they would “stop the films screening at all costs, whatever their eventual rating may be.” The one thing that should never be taken away from any individual, regardless of who, where or what they are, is the inalienable right to choose. If this David Lane and his organization are truly religious, then they should recognise that God’s greatest gift to Man was the right to choose.”

“The idea that 1 man with a typewriter is able to circumvent the classification process and effectively slap a ban on films by cynically manipulating said process is not only abhorrent but devalues the classification process itself. By all means classify these films R18 to keep them away from impressionable eyes, but I find it condesending to say the least that this man (who has never seen the films, nor met me) appoints himself as sole judge of what is injurious to my fragile sensibilities”

“It would be more disturbing to me if a small minority of people can dictate what I watch than anything that could ever be put on film.”

“While I don’t personally have much interest in the films the SPCS was trying to ban, I think their use of legal loopholes to force their moral views on New Zealand filmgoers is deplorable.”

“Religious extremism is one of the main courses of violence in our world just look at Afganistan, the Talaban banned all movies, TV, newspapers, magazines, radio, music, photography and kite flying and look at how violent and dangerous that nation became because of it.”

“Despite their notoriety, both films can be proven to have a strong sociological and psychological imperative towards a broader understanding and discourse of the issues involved, i.e. youth neglect, relationships, sexual abuse. The desire to censor these films is in fact reflective of the repression of these discourses and therefore the inability of our society to address such problems. Don’t shoot the messengers.”

“Censorship is a crime against society and would only be deemed acceptable within a cult environment like George Orwell’s 1984 or Auldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Classification of material is the only acceptable method of regulating media. The SPCS also want to ban Mein Kamf which I find to be disturbingly ironic. Learning from history is the only way to stop repeating the mistakes of the past.”

“As a teaching member of the Department of Film, Television, and Media Studies at the University of Auckland, I fully support the right of the New Zealand Viewing Public to see and experience all forms of visual media without interference from censorious politically aligned groups. Each individual is best able to decide what is and isn’t offence to them, and should be allowed to make that decision on their own. Punishing the Becks Incredible Film Festival for simply attempting to provide World Class entertainment is mean-spirited and, ultimately, culturally damaging.”

“I am disappointed that after last year’s efforts which proved injurious to the Incredible Film Festival that the same parties are attempting to not only repeat their eventually overturned complaints but go even further in their attacks against a festival which plays movies that an adult segment of the movie-going public wants to see. There is demand for these films. Eventually access is gained to them via DVD release and the Classifications Board allows their release. It is spiteful and small-minded in the extreme to deny the film-going public an opportunity to see these films in their proper context ie the cinema. Due to the nature of a film festival, injunctions to prevent films screening detrimentally affect not only the financial interests of the organisers, but deprive the film-going public of what is often a once in a lifetime opportunity to see these films in the proper context. I urge you to exercise sound judgement when considering the complaints of a bigoted and biased minority.”

“As long as it’s rated R18 and we’re warned it’s disturbing we should have the right to choose what we expose ourselves to.”

“There is no such thing as just a painting, just a book, just a piece of music, just a sculpture or just a movie. Film can be there to entertain us, but it also has a responsibility to challenge, question and move us, all of which these films and their respective directors do. Love or hate a movie, when it provokes a response it demands that we question our prejudices, morals and behaviour and such action ensures that we evolve as individuals, as a community and a society. If self-appointed moral guardians are so concerned for our souls then let God decide come the day of judgement, and believe me when I say, SPCS, that we will keep you a seat by the fire.”

“Poor Mr Lane. Many people fail to realise he is yet another sad case of a pious partisan struggling to live with what must be the moralist equivalent of an overabundance of testosterone. The sooner modern medicine can isolate the cause of this bizarre hormonal imbalance and eliminate it from the universal genepool, the better.”

“We wanna see House of 1000 Corpses!”

“The film “Irreversible” has high artistic merit and we welcome the opportunity to see it.”

“It is wrong to hide information from the public. Whether creative, political, social, economic, scientific or otherwise - the worst form of censorship is not even knowing that something exists [so that one can choose to access or not]. The State should not have the right to deny access to information to ANYONE. This is crucial now more than ever.”

“I urge everyone to attend the one and only session of IRREVERSIBLE this Saturday, to send a message to those hell bent on suppressing freedom of expression!!!”

“Great to hear the film made it through. It was an incredible and powerful film.”

“Films with powerful subjects need to be made and seen.”

“We already have a censor in this country, we do not need another one…”

“Journalists who have interviewed SPCS (or more accurately the 1-man-band that is Secretary David Lame) conclude that his “moral” campaign against what he calls “smut and porn” in Becks Incredible Film Festival is actually a personal vendetta against festival director Anthony Timpson. Mr. Lame (who refuses to debate the issue on tv/radio) hides behind his applications for injunctions and has claimed that he “doubts there is an audience for these types of films”. Here is a person who quotes Voltaire (extolling freedom of expression) on his website (www.christian-apologetics.org), who refuses to voice any opinions on art, culture or even movies, who is stopping ADULTS from veiwing films passed by the Cheif Censor in accordance with law. His cowardly abuse of the public’s right to query the censor process is obvious in the dates in which he applies for interim injunctions (always the last minute so the Festival programmers can’t fight back). He’s a pathetic sad bully who must be stopped!”

“Larry Clark is one of the best film makers to come out of the states in years, don’t deny people the right to see some of the worlds best artistic film making, and consider the subject matter educational rather than influential.”

“I live in a progressive nation?”