Movie News

Cannibal Holocaust is a 1979 Italian adventure by Ruggero Deodato.
With Robert Kerman, Francesca Ciardi and Perry Pirkanen.    

Famously banned in the UK as a Video Nasty in 1983. Unbanned for the heavily cut 2001 DVD. The cuts were reduced to animal violence only for 2011 DVD. Deodato produced a new edit in 2011 to more tidily remove the animal violence. Uncut in the US and Italy

The BBFC have reconfirmed its animal cruelty cuts to Cannibal Holocaust commenting:

This work required a compulsory cut to a scene of animal cruelty.

The film had been submitted by 88 Films.

Presumably these are the same cuts as the previous submission in 2011 when the BBFC cut a 15s scene of a coatimundi being killed.

Note that all the old cuts for violence were waived for that 2011 submission.

Britain's cinemas are to introduce digital ID cards for adults and children as proof of age for entry to age restricted films.

The UK Cinema Association, which represents 90% of cinemas, will from Monday accept a digital ID app which confirms the age of an adult or child to box office staff based on a previously uploaded official ID document such as a passport.

The technology, developed by digital ID provider Yoti is part of a wider move towards digital IDs for adults and children where there are restrictions on age-related products.

The Home Office is trialling Yoti's AI facial photo checks that can estimate age and its apps at supermarket checkouts to prevent children buying alcohol. If successful, ministers will consider amending the law to allow digital age checks for alcohol sales. It is not allowed under current legislation.  About 3 million Brits have already downloaded the Yoti app.

To obtain the digital age ID app, the person has to prove identity with a document such as a passport then take a live picture to confirm. The information is stored in a government-grade database that Yoti  claims it does not have access to and which can be erased at any time by the individual. However it should be noted that similar systems used for online ID generally maintained a full database of usage supposedly for 'fraud prevention' auditing.

The digital ID card shows the verified photo of the individual and their age as over 18, 15 or 12. There is a hologram on the card that moves when the phone is tilted to prevent spoofing. However this suggests that phones will have to be handed over to cinema staff to check the hologram.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a 2022 USA action Sci-Fi horror by Sam Raimi
Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Rachel McAdams and Benedict Cumberbatch

Banned in Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia in April 2022

Middle East film censors have banned the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness over the inclusion of an openly gay character.  Although the censors have not provided any reasons for banning the film's release, it's the latest Marvel movie to fall victim to state-sponsored censorship to constrain certain civil liberties and human rights norms, including the expression of a LGBTQIA+ lifestyle. By including an openly LGBTQ+ character in its film , America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), the Marvel film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been banned in Saudi Arabia, as well as Qatar and Kuwait .

Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange 2 introduce's a gay character, America Chavez. America was the first lesbian Latina in Marvel Comics, debuting in 2011's Vengeance #1.

It is reported that the America Chavez character plays a major role in the film and it seems unlikely that the Middle East release can be aved via cuts,

Summary Notes

After the events of Avengers: Endgame, Dr. Stephen Strange continues his research on the Time Stone. But an old friend turned enemy seeks to destroy every sorcerer on Earth, messing with Strange's plan and also causing him to unleash an unspeakable evil.

Benedetta is a 2021 France/Belgium/Netherlands historical romance by Paul Verhoeven
Starring Virginie Efira, Charlotte Rampling and Daphne Patakia  

A 17th-century nun in Italy suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair.

A lesbian nun thriller that features a sex scene that has been slammed by Catholic groups who have claimed it as appalling and blasphemous. The film was released on Good Friday,

The film, Benedetta, directed by Paul Verhoeven, is based upon a real-life story of a 17th century nun called Benedetta Carlini who is suffering from from disturbing religious and erotic visions.

A scene which features a statue of Virgin Mary being used as a sex toy has been particularly slammed by Catholics. A spokesman for the Irish Society for Christian Civilisation, Damien Murphy said:

This movie is a fraud and nothing more than a blatant attack on the Catholic faith. There is no way that a director would depict Mohammed acting in a sexual manner. There is not one director in Hollywood or Europe who would dare mock Mohammed or the Jewish faith -- it just wouldn't happen.

The Irish Society for Christian Civilisation have launched a petition calling for the film not to be released, which has drawn more than 13,000 petitions. The petition reads:

I strongly oppose and condemn your distribution and promotion of Paul Verhoeven's film Benedetta. It offends God, and countless Catholics all over the world. This immoral film blasphemously features several Jesus-on-nun intense 'make outs', a statuette of Mary Most Holy used as a sex-toy and voyeuristic lesbian nuns pornography.

The Irish Film Classification Office rated the film 18 uncut for strong sex and violence including scenes of torture and sexual assault.

The film is being release MPA Unrated in the US.

Meanwhile the BBFC has also rated the film 18 uncut, but for sexual violence, strong sex, nudity, bloody violence:

• 2022 MUBI R0 4K Blu-ray at UK Amazon #ad released on 1st August 2022
• 2022 MUBI (RB) Blu-ray at UK Amazon released on 1st August 2022
• 2022 MUBI R0 DVD at UK Amazon #ad released on 1st August 2022

The BBFC have additionally commented:

There are scenes of strong sex, including cunnilingus, masturbation and implied penetration with a wooden sex toy. Such scenes also contain sexualised breast, buttock and genital nudity. In one sequence, a woman masturbates in front of her lover, who is reluctant to engage in sexual acts, ultimately refusing to touch her. sexual violence and sexual threat

A woman is tortured using genital mutilation; it is implied that a device is used to penetrate her, but this is not shown in strong detail. In another sequence, a man attempts to rape a woman while she is restrained by others, but violence puts an end to the sexual threat.

Javed Iqbal: The Untold Story of A Serial Killer is a 2022 Pakistan crime thriller by Abu Aleeha
Starring Kaleem Ghori, Yasir Hussain and Rabya Kulsoom

The story of serial killer Javed Iqbal, who sexually abused and killed more than 100 children in Lahore between 1998 and 1999.

The movie Javed Iqbal: The Untold Story of A Serial Killer was eagerly awaited in its native Pakistan but after a preview screening in Karachi it was abruptly pulled by the government's Central Bureau of Film Censors, despite it initially receiving censor approval. The decision was met with widespread condemnation by the film community and those who had been involved in the Javed Iqbal investigation.

A high court case is currently ongoing in a bid to retract the decision.

The film is based on writer-director Abu Aleeha's own novel Kukri . UK Asian Film Festival Founder and Director, Dr Pushpinder Chowdhry commented:

It brings to light an issue -- the abuse and mass murder of young boys -- that is of the utmost importance and yet rarely discussed. It has always been far too convenient for South Asian societies to brush such issues under the carpet but only by creating safe spaces in which to confront these issues and their root causes can we begin to create the meaningful social change we need. In that way we all owe a debt of gratitude to the creators of this film.