42. BBFC Final Rating for Immolation

As a group we decided that the most suitable age limit for our thriller opening would be 15+. We decided  that this age limit would be most appropriate because we felt that 18 was too high as the opening didn’t contain too much explicit images, however it would be too graphic for a 12 year old to view as it contains shots of someone who has committed suicide.

In the BBFC Classification it states “Imitable behaviour - Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised”.

We were particularly concerned about this stipulation because of any possibility that the act of suicide which is represented in the opening of our thriller might be copied by any member of the audience. However we believe that audience members over 15 will be mature enough to deal with these scenes rationally.  

Commercially, the 15 certificate suits us well because the 15 - 20 age group is still the major target audience in cinemas. For DVD sales and rentals, we would expect the 15 classification to be retained.


By Tanzila Salam