“The Lady of Heaven,” “The Batman,” and “The Kashmir Files” were the most complained about films in the U.K. in 2022, the British Board of Film Classification’s (BBFC) annual report reveals.
“The Lady of Heaven,” which the BBFC describes as “a drama concerning the life of Fatima, a daughter of the prophet Muhammad,” topped the list with 1,573 complaints “from people who felt that the film was blasphemous and historically inaccurate.” The film was pulled from some U.K. cinemas upon release due to these concerns.
“Sometimes, we also receive complaints which do not relate directly to BBFC classifications, but instead reflect people’s wider objections to a certain film,” the BBFC said in its annual report. “Filmmakers are free to explore historical or controversial themes and events within their films. Our role is to ensure that we classify the content appropriately based on our guidelines, in order to protect children and other vulnerable groups from potential harm and to empower consumers to make informed viewing decisions.”
The BBFC added that nothing in the film exceeds the org’s 15 classification guidelines and that the rating was issued for strong bloody violence, gory images and threat.
Indian film “The Kashmir Files,” which was banned in Singapore and went on to become one of the biggest Bollywood hits of the year, attracted 19 complaints for being “Islamophobic and that the film presents events surrounding the Kashmiri Pandit community incorrectly,” the BBFC said. “Our guidelines do not require that depictions of real-life events be accurate in order for us to classify a film and this is not a factor that we generally consider. We classified ‘The Kashmir Files’ 15 for strong bloody violence, threat and a brief scene of sexual humiliation.”
Among complaints directly about the age rating and not the themes of the film, “The Batman,” which was classified 15 for strong threat and violence, attracted the most – 22 complaints – from people who “felt that the classification was too restrictive and would prevent younger children who would like to see the film from watching it at the cinema,” the BBFC said.
The BBFC received nine complaints relating to the classification of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” with people expressing concerns about the horror elements in the film at 12A; and six complaints regarding “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” from people who felt its scenes of violence were too strong for a U rating.
There were 84 complaints about classification decisions in 2022, down from 109 in 2021.
Overall, the BBFC classified 1,057 cinema films, 5,527 video submissions and 3,649 online submissions, with cinema classifications increasing by 60% to reach near pre-pandemic submission levels. 15 was the most common age rating category for both online and physical media submissions.
in 2022, the BBFC licensed 29 services to carry BBFC age ratings and/or BBFC data on a voluntary, best-practice basis. As of July 2023, this figure grew to 33 brands and services, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Curzon Home Cinema, Lionsgate+, Netflix, Pluto TV, Sky Store and YouTube Movies & TV.
David Austin, chief executive of the BBFC said: “Last year was a landmark year for the BBFC. We reached 110 years of classification and our iconic age ratings celebrated significant anniversaries. We also continued to cement our partnerships with VOD services – and our recently announced AI projects, which explore how new technology might be integrated into the compliance process, aim to deliver scale and enhanced efficiencies for our customers and the wider industry. I’m really excited about the opportunities this next chapter will bring.”
Natasha Kaplinksy, president of the BBFC, added: “It’s an exciting time to be part of the BBFC, as we’re currently consulting with over 10,000 people across the U.K. to explore how audience expectations are evolving. We will then reflect these changes in our classification guidelines, which set the foundation for all of our age rating decisions, including when older films are resubmitted and receive a new classification. I look forward to unveiling our findings in 2024.”
