"A spanking": BC regulator forcing Rio Theatre to censor film at festival
Tonight is day one of Dan Savage’s Hump!, a film festival showcasing amateur erotic short films at the Rio Theatre, and Consumer Protection BC is forcing the theatre to censor a portion of it or face the consequences.
A three-minute-long short film is at the centre of this controversy.
Corinne Lea is the CEO of the Rio Theatre, and she put out a statement on Thursday afternoon with an update on the festival and the order to censor the film.
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“The Rio Theatre has just been informed by Consumer Protection BC that they are censoring Dan Savage’s HUMP! film festival that opens tonight at the Rio,” she said.
“The Rio has been informed if we proceed without censoring the film, we could lose our licence and face possible criminal charges,” Lea added.
A little later, Lea said, “I’ve just been informed that the film that has been removed is a same-sex married couple who are expressing their love through consensual bondage.”
Hump! is a 19+ event and takes place between April 11 and 13 in Vancouver.
Rio submitted the program to BC Consumer Protection “at its request,” Rachel Fox, a Rio programmer, told Daily Hive.
BC Consumer Protection told the Rio in a letter that it was bothered by the three-minute short film called The Reward, which included a scene “that spoke to bondage.”
“That was the wording in the letter,” Fox added.
“What they said verbally was that it showed non-consensual bondage.”
In response, Fox told Daily Hive that all the content in all the films is completely consensual. Fox said the short film in question would have to be removed for them to screen the festival.
Fox and Lea have both stated that this is the first time this festival has ever faced any sort of censorship, and it is shown globally.
“They’ve never been hit with censorship,” Fox said.
“This is such an overreach. It’s a waste of time. It’s like five people in an office with nothing to do,” she said, audibly frustrated.
An Instagram comment from Fox says, “We have yet to determine if any potential punishment from the Province of BC will include a spanking.”
Adding, “Or handcuffs.”
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Before the Vancouver screenings, Hump! was shown in New York and Berlin, and following Vancouver’s event, it will be heading to Philadelphia, Toronto and Columbus.
“Ridiculous. Sorry you have to deal with this garbage,” a Rio follower said in response to the censorship.
Consumer Protection BC couldn’t offer any specific details, but spokesperson Tatiana Chabeaux-Smith offered us a statement.
“The Motion Picture Act (here is a link to section 5) outlines what type of content isn’t allowed to be in adult films. We enforce that legislation, and by law in BC, all adult films must be reviewed and approved by our office. This process ensures that specific content such as incest, necrophilia, child pornography, bondage in a sexual context, and other defined content isn’t depicted in adult films.”
The statement added, “If a film does not contain scenes prohibited by the Motion Picture Act, they are approved for distribution or exhibition. Our licensed theatres and distributors are aware of what type of material is allowed in adult films in BC. We have provided options to the Rio Theatre for this film.”
We’ve contacted Savage for his thoughts on this first-time censorship of his event.
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