British Board of Film Classification research on sexual violence

Monday 10 July, 2006
British Board of Film Classification research on sexual violence
Researchers at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth are tackling a set of controversial but important questions, at the request of the British Board of Film Classification. A team of film researchers, led by Professor Martin Barker, is studying the ways audiences understand and respond to films that include scenes of sexual violence.   
       
The team are exploring responses to five films.  The films – À Ma Soeur, Baise-Moi, Irreversible, Ichi The Killer, and House on the Edge of the Park – are all ones that raised particular classification issues, both for cinema and video release. They also provoked considerable press debate.  The aim of the project is to provide the BBFC with knowledge that can guide their future thinking.

Among the questions that the project aims to answer are: what are the kinds of enjoyment that audiences gain from films of these kinds?  Do audiences who loathe them, or who love them, see the same things in them?  How does the context in which sexual violence is presented within the film affect the ways audiences understand it?  How are responses governed by where and when people see such a film?

The researchers are using several research strategies, including a web questionnaire.  This has its own website: www.extremefilmsresearch.org.uk .  Over the next six months, they are aiming to gather more than a thousand responses for analysis.
Professor Barker commented: “This is the first time the BBFC has employed film researchers to tackle questions of this kind.  We are really pleased that they have recognised the potential of the methods we now use, to inform their decisions.  Now, we need to hear from people who have seen any of these films, so that the views of real audiences – whatever their views – for the first time can be properly considered”.

Members of the research team at Aberystwyth have been involved in a range of audience projects in recent years, including investigations of responses to Crash, A Clockwork Orange, and Straw Dogs.  Recently, the University was home to the international project to study the reception of the film of The Lord of the Rings.