Australian distributor Monster Pictures has accused the NZ censors of encouraging piracy.
The claim comes in response to a ruling that the film Maniac may only play at the New Zealand International Film Festival. The film is scheduled as part of the ‘Incredibly Strange’ selection in Auckland and Wellington.
The Office of Film and Literature Classification ruling classifies the title ‘objectionable’. It prevents either a DVD release or a non-festival theatrical release. The full classification note is: R18 graphic violence, sex scenes, content that may disturb.
Having selected the film, Incredibly Strange programmer Ant Timpson naturally disagreed with the OFLC decision, noting that part of the censors’ objection was to the first person Point of View which the film takes.
