An short film that was scheduled to play in the Show Me Shorts Film Festival may be banned from playing in New Zealand by the Office of Film and Literature Classification. Festival Director Gina Dellabarca is shocked that The Game has been "refused" by the Film and Video Labelling Body (FVLB), saying that although characters in the film "refer to the act of urination in a sexual sense...the person who requests the act is heavily mocked and the film is funny and light."An short film that was scheduled to play in the Show Me Shorts Film Festival may be banned from playing in New Zealand by the Office of Film and Literature Classification. Festival Director Gina Dellabarca is shocked that The Game has been "refused" by the Film and Video Labelling Body (FVLB), saying that although characters in the film "refer to the act of urination in a sexual sense...the person who requests the act is heavily mocked and the film is funny and light.""This is a top quality film that the public are missing out on the chance to see. The film has previously screened in Australia, the UK, Germany and Canada with no problems. The Game was a National Competition finalist at the Canberra Short Film Festival, and another film (Saturday Night Newton Sunday Morning Enmore, which also screens in Show Me Shorts) by the same director, Christopher Johnson won that category."

The Show Me Shorts Film Festival Trust have sent The Game to the Chief Censor requesting urgent viewing in hope of securing a rating so it can be shown in the other locations.

Director Christopher Johnson, who is currently attending a film festival in Germany, has been made aware of the problem. He was "surprised" by the refusal, saying that "although the film addresses a form of sexual deviance, it's done in a comedic vein, because it's a comedy".

Dellabarca says she cannot help but speculate about the banning of Hostel 2 recently, and wonders whether this film has frightened the censorship bodies into refusing every film that even refers to gaining sexual pleasure from something deemed inappropriate.

"You have to consider the context though, and this film treats the subject in a humorous and derisive way. It certainly doesn't encourage the practice!"

12/11/07