Ayan Magudia

BBFC CERTIFICATION
Members of the film industry established the British Board of
Film Classification, in 1912. This allowed them the right to
censor and certificate films rather than the government
[although there are still links between the two].
The certification awarded depends on the amount of
sex/nudity; violence, drug use and strong language included
which effectively prohibits minors of certain ages viewing
the material in cinema or purchasing the DVD/Blu-Ray
version of the film, depending on ht certification.
There are 5 certifications the BBFC uses:
- Universal
- Parental Guidance
- 12(A)
- 15
- 18
We have allocated our short film the certification of 15.
According to the BBFC this is what you might I see in a 15
rated film:

Strong violence
Frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***').
Portrayals of sexual activity
Strong verbal references to sex
Sexual nudity
Brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references
to sexual violence
Discriminatory language or behavior
Drug taking

Within a 15 rated film there could potentially be a great deal

of strong language. At 15 there is no upper limit on the
number of uses of strong language (e.g. f***). Our
production contains the use of such profanity however,
continued or aggressive use will not normally be passed 15

Ayan Magudia

thus we decided to keep the use of profanity minimal and

with relative cause.
At 15 drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole
must not promote or encourage drug misuse (for example,
through instructional detail).
The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous
substances is unlikely to be acceptable at 15. Our production
features the abuse of alcohol and marijuana: appropriate for
a 15 rated film.
The BBFC consider the risk of potential harm to
impressionable teenagers. For example, dangerous behavior
such as hanging, suicide and self-harming should not dwell
on detail which could be copied. According to the BBFC,
whether the depiction of easily accessible weapons is
acceptable depends on factors such as realism, context and
setting. As a main theme in our production is self-harm, we
will be sure to be meticulous and cautious in how we
represent this.