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THE IRISH FILM Classification Office (Ifco) has upheld an 18s rating for an Irish film by a debut director despite the film being given a 15s rating in the UK.
Kissing Candice by award-winning ad and music video director Aoife McArdle is due for release in the coming months but it will not be seen by the young people it portrays due to its classification.
The film is about a young girl in a border town who first dreams of and then meets a young boy who’s connected to a gang that is terrorising her town.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and has been shown at other youth-orientated festivals but its distributors have failed to have the classification changed in Ireland after requesting a review of the 18s cert.
Wildcard Distribution is the Irish distributor for the film and its managing director Patrick O’Neill has said that the company was surprised when it was given an 18s cert.
“We just thought the rating was a little harsh for the film, we just thought something along the lines of a 15A or a 16 would have been more in keeping with the content of the film,” O’Neill said.
This film was made for a youth audience, and has already screened at festivals throughout the world, including the Generations strand of the Berlinale, and Cinemagic, which both select films specifically for under 18s.
Ifco’s classification of the film says that the film contains “scenes of strong drugs abuse, strong violence and language and strong sex references” and was therefore given an 18s rating.
The UK’s British Board of Film Classification was less severe in its rating of the film, giving it a 15s cert and noting that it contained “very strong language, strong threat, drug misuse”.
In terms of the film’s sex references, the BBFC says that the film features “one sequence where a woman masturbates in bed”.
Wildcard Distribution said it accepted Ifco’s decision not to overturn its initial rating of the film but added that it will affect how the film is marketed in Ireland and will restrict the audience for McArdle’s work.
In a statement to TheJournal.ie, the director of film classification at Ifco Ger Connolly said the rating was in part due to the conflation of violence, threat and drug use by teens in the film.
“Regarding an appeal, I did, on request from the distributor, have a second look which did not change my opinion. I also explained that there was the option of a formal appeal to the Classification of Films Appeal Board, which is a totally independent body. They chose not to avail of this option,” Connolly added.
Although the film is the director’s feature debut, she has won numerous awards for ads for brands such as Audi, Honda and Samsung. Only this week she was named by Adweek in a list of filmakers alongside Greta Gerwig, Spike Jonze and Ava DuVernay.
“Aoife’s a real talent, she’s a visionary director, she’s going to go so far,” O’Neill told TheJournal.ie.
“This is her feature debut. So I just think it’s a bit of a shame because it’s kind of reflective of what teenagers are watching and at any screening we’re aware of where a teen audience has watched it they responded very positively.”
Kissing Candice is released in cinemas on 22 June
Both Supervalu and Tesco have attempted to block a new development in enfield which contains a hotel, nursing home, much needed homes, resuarant/bar and of course a new retail unit. Plenty of business to go round in fairness and it would be a much needed investment in the town. Fingers crossed An Bord Pleanála see sense and approve it.
Every Lidl helps
@Fred: in a survey of plastic and packaging use, lidl and aldi were the worst they used more plastic packaging than any other supermarkets. Tesco were actually one of the best in that it was possible to buy a lot more produce loose without plastic packaging. Also Tesco would facilitate consumers returning plastic packaging to the store, lidl and aldi refused.
@john bennett: bs
@john bennett: so
@john bennett: rubbish. I leave my plastic behind when doing my shopping. No one has ever told me I cant
@john bennett: and what’s that got to do with Tesco abusing the planning system, which I’m assuming is also costing the taxpayer?
@john bennett: this is about losing profits the cartels like tesco,supervalue,dunnes not about plastics.when lidl and aldi came to Ireland it showed how much we were actually being ripped off for.
@john bennett: BS, I always see people removing packaging in aldi before putting the shopping in their bags. They have plenty of bins provided too. And half the price of Tesco to boot.
A sad sad reflection on Tesco and a completely disingenuous response from them. It’s obvious to everyone what they’re playing at!
@Kerrydone: Indeed. The figures support the claims made by Lidl and Aldi, Tesco in particular are misusing and abusing the planning system to twart any attempt by what the see as rivals getting planning permission.
At the same time Lidl and Aldi are doing things by the book we’ve seen a number of other well known coffee shops and retailers totally avoiding the planning system, and getting away with it.
As an aside a few family members volunteer in a local organisation, a few years ago they approached local businesses asking for whatever donations they could give. Tesco couldn’t be bothered, all applications had to be made in writing to their head office, Lidl and Aldi literally brought people to tears as they donated pallet loads and delivered it too. Can’t praise them and their staff highly enough.
@Arch Angel: from what I heard is lidl & Aldi care about thier staff and the community’s they are based in
Boycott Tesco
@Seanniemac1983: and not supervalu?
I like lidl and aldi: Tools and Rents with a guarantee etc Some stuff is the same brand as dunnes but cheaper, some just as good but cheaper. But here in Germany you can go even more ‘down market’ to Netto or Penny, smaller stores than Lidl and aldi but often the same stuff again and still cheaper.
Obviously cost of delivery etc to be considered but even aldi and Lidl are riding us, let alone dunnes and supervalue.
@Chris Linehan: what about non union badly paid staff
@Chris Linehan: just because the staff are non union does not mean they are badly paid. Aldi and Lidl staff are higher paid than the equivalent staff in the traditional retailers.
@trebloc01: what are you on about? Well paid staff
@trebloc01: for real? Dunnes has the worse track record for treatment of staff…
@Chris Linehan: when Lidl arrived first Irish people didn’t like their approach. Very from compared to the usual. They invested in fancy in house baking, gourmet foods and even put products on shelves. In Germany Lidl pallets are left on the floor and you like it or lump it.
Irish people think they like a bargain but they’re simply not as thrifty as ze Germans
@Goban Saor: *very grim compared to usual
@trebloc01:
As far as I’m aware Lidl and Aldi pay the living wage, unlike the other retailers.
@Goban Saor: I did a bit of work in Tesco a few years ago & most of the staff i spoke to were on zero hours contracts & Tesco pay thier staff less than most other retailers
@Patrick Nolan: my mate works for M&S & he gets paid a living wage has really good benefits. He couldn’t be happier
@LIAMO B:
Good for him/ them but with respect, the M&S share of the Irish grocery market is very small
Whatever about Tesco , Musgraves/SuperValu would want to be careful in case Lidl start returning the favour…They could bury small family run franchises if they decided to….
Dirty tricks from the supermarket cartel, who’ve been gouging Irish shoppers for decades.
Not surprised that stupid valu are against a company giving a little more value to people as they are the most expensive supermarket in the Country. Shame on them and the old codgers that shop with them just because they are alligned with the old fella that sold out to the company and rely on the loyalty to the former name that was above that same shop thirty or forty years ago.
The Brits are at war with the Germans again.
@Pascal Coleman:
Objecting ……. shure they’re more Irish than the Irish themselves so!
Just sue them for obstruction and loss of income
@Moorooka Mick:
Difficult if you do not have an established trade pattern to benchmark alleged loss.
Dunnes Stores is hoarding a prime city centre location in Limerick for years, allowing it to fall into dereliction.
It needs to be CPOed from Dunnes for a reasonablle price – in this instance 1 euro.
@mursim:
The state certainly could CPO it but they would have to pay full market price. (Constitution)
Tesco need to be investigated they did this for the lidl in Cabra they tried every dirty tactic even though they have a store on Prussia Street and another superstore 5 mins up on the navan road. They’re a law unto themselves anti competition because they’ve had the Irish consumer over a barrel for decades.
Dunnes Stores is hoarding a prime city centre location in Limerick for years, allowing it to fall into dereliction.
It needs to be CPOed from Dunnes for a reasonablle price – in this instance 1 euro.
Different to Aldi being blocked by the major supermarkets in Monaghan
Stupid carry on by competitors they need to get over it. Stop fleecing people while they are at it
@James O’Brien: fleecing? It’s probably the cheapest time ever to shop.
Lidl and Aldi worst supermarket for the environment. Almost no recycling plastic used.
@Bob Dalchan: they are also the first to commit to eliminating single use plastics within a couple of years
@Bob Dalchan: What has that to do with misuse of planning laws ?
@James Wallace: Have they? Brilliant. Good to hear.
Future planning in the future…
He he all the big names have been doing this for years to block competition from Aldi and Lidl. Its no secret for Gods Sake. RGData are representing their members but need to be careful as a lot of the Supervalues are in small towns so what goes around comes around.
It might help if Lidl read the Local Area Plans before putting in the application.
They proposed a store in Douglas on a site that was marked for mixed use on a street that was marked for traffic reduction and public transport priority.
They’ve now come back with a plan that is at least mixed use, but will still funnel hundreds of extra cars through the centre of an already congested area.
They did this in our place also – it stood out in the objections as there isn’t a Tesco for miles around – don’t know why they would be so interested if it fitted the local environment or not.
Vexatious complaints seem to be the norm now. Our family has been subjected to this from a couple of people not in any way affected, but did it because they could.
I heard somewhere that Irish or other foreign retailers would find it almost impossible to break into the German retail market.
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