TORONTO, November 16, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Fat Girl, a controversial film screened at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival has been banned by the Ontario Film Review Board since the distributors refuse to cut scenes showing a 13-year-old and 15-year-old in nude sex scenes. However, the decision is being appealed with the help of some of Canada’s leading filmmakers.
Noah Cowan of Cowboy Pictures, which is releasing the film jointly with Lions Gate Films, has appealed the decision. The National Post reports that he has collected letters of support from several Canadian filmmakers, including David Cronenberg (The Fly), Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter), Patricia Rozema (Mansfield Park), and Ron Mann (Comic Book Confidential). Piers Handling, who heads the Toronto International Film Festival also asked the board to show the film uncut.
Ontario Film Review Board chairman Robert Warren explained the decision on the film saying, “There is a scene where a 15-year-old is [shown in] full frontal nudity in a sexual situation and also a 13-year-old girl with partial nudity in a rape scene . That contravenes a section of the Theatres Act.”
An appeal will be held on Tuesday, when the film board will convene a new five-person panel to re-view Fat Girl. Ontario film restrictions have been greatly liberalized in the last several years but the film industry continues to push the envelope even further.
Express your views to Robert Warren: [email protected]
See the National Post coverage: https://www.nationalpost.com/news/national/story.html?f=/stories/20011116/788934.html https://www.nationalpost.com/artslife/story.html?f=/stories/20011114/785339.html