Certificate of our film

What is a film certificate?

In Britain, the certificate of a film is decided by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). They act as a form of censorship for films to prevent potentially harmful and inappropriate content being viewed by to a young or impressionable audience. The BBFC have a set of guidelines determining what age rating a film should receive, based on its content. BBFC Examiners look at issues such as discrimination, drugs, horror, imitable behaviour, language, nudity, sex, sexual violence, theme and violence when making decisions. They also consider context, the tone and impact of a work (how it makes the audience feel) and even the release format (for example, as DVDs are watched in the home, there is a higher risk of underage viewing). There are 7 main certificates a film could receive.

The "U" symbol stands for Universal. At this rating, a film should be suitable for an audience of 4 years or less, meaning that there can be none of the questionable content mentioned above. However, the BBFC will allow the use of infrequent use of very mild language at this level (e.g. - "damn" or "hell"). There can also be very mild or comical violence, as well as 'scary scenes', providing they are balanced by reassuring elements. Although it should be noted that simply because a film has been given a U certificate, does not necessarily mean that it is a 'children's film'.

PG stands for "Parental Guidance". This means that while a film is suitable for general viewing, it may content content that is unsuitable for young children. A PG film should remain suitable for a child audience, but it can explore a few more questionable themes such as bullying, racism or bereavement. There may be use of some mild bad language in a PG film, providing it is not used in an aggressive context. There can also be elements of mild violence, providing it is shown comically or with little graphic detail.

The 12A certificate means that a child under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult in order to view a film with this certificate. Strong profanity may be passed at a 12A depending on the frequency and context of its use. Aggressive use of strong profanity is unlikely to be passed at a 12A. Sexual activity may be briefly or discreetly portrayed at a 12A, providing there is no directly explicit content. Sexual references and innuendos should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. If sexual activity is portrayed in a comedic context, BBFC regulators are generally more lenient.


No-one under the age of 15, regardless of accompaniment, is permitted to view a 15 film at the cinema. A 15 certificate film may have strong violence (not overly gruesome), frequent strong language, portrayals of or references to sexual activity, nudity, discrimitatory language or behaviour, or drug use. There is generally no limit to use of profanity in a 15, except for the strongest language, which usually must occur within an acceptable context. There must be little detail given to nudity or sexual activity. Racism, homophobia, and other discriminatory language are permitted in a 15, providing they do not endorse such behaviour.

18 certificate films are intended for viewing only by adults. No-one below the age of 18 is permitted to view these films. These works are considered unsuitable for children. Issues that may arise in an 18 certificate film may include: very strong violence, frequent strong language, strong portrayals of sexual activity (may be real) or sexual violence, strong horror, blood and gore, and discriminatory language and behaviour. There may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory language at an 18, and the film may explore the themes of these, providing the film does not any legislation. Use of drugs is also permitted in an 18, providing the overall film does not endorse their use.
 
The R18 category is a special and legally-restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films of this category may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas. DVD and videos of R18 films may only be purchased in licensed shops, and cannot be purchased through mail order.

Which certificate would our film receive?

Although our film contains some elements of violence, and some slightly disturbing scenes, both are mostly censored and are kept to a minimum. The degree of violence contained in the film is not severe enough to classify it as a 15 (the most violent moment in the film is when Lily stabs Brett, which only occurs in a vision and is largely censored). As a result, our film would likely be classified as a 12A as its content is mature enough to be unsuitable for younger viewing, but not malicious enough to qualify as a 15. There is also no use of bad language. Thus, we intend to keep violence and disturbing implication to a minimum in order to prevent a breach of this classification.