Grueling : UK film censors forced to watch a 2-day long movie of paint drying
We often here censor boards across the world impose moral values to snip love-making and kissing scenes. We often wish that they would not be so ruthless and conservative while passing a movie. Somebody decided to teach them a lesson and for the first time, a producer made the censor board member from UK sit through a 2 day long movie.
BBFC which is United Kingdom passed the movie with a Universal or ‘U’ after they were made to sit for a grueiling 10 hrs.
In its official listing, the BBFC found that the Charlie Lyne’s movie, which consists entirely of a freshly-painted wall drying, is a documentary with an unknown cast featuring no material likely to offend or harm: “PAINT DRYING is a film showing paint drying on a wall. All known versions of this work passed uncut.”
As said above, Charlie made the film to to protest the UK’s antiquated film censorship regime. Charlie’s revealed all that in the just concluded “ask me anything” thread on Reddit.
Charlie said that he crowdfunded a movie of paint drying and made it for a total £5963 ($8526). He submitted the full 607 minute film, through which the censor members were made to sit through. Charlie said the following in the AMA :
“About a year ago, I went to a filmmaker open day held by the BBFC at their offices in Soho. I’d expected to see quite a lot of conflict between the BBFC examiners and the visiting filmmakers whose work was at the mercy of the board, but there was nothing like that. Most of the filmmakers — even those who’d had trouble with the BBFC in the past — seemed totally resigned to the censorship imposed by the board, even supportive of it. I think that shocked me into action.”
