Young People Fucking (2007), a provocatively titled film by Martin Gero (co-writer/producer/director), screened before an exclusive Ottawa viewing Thursday night (May 29th) at the World Exchange Plaza. The film has set off a controversial debate over Bill C-10, which would grant the Conservative government the "moral authority" to deny tax credits to Canadian productions that it deems "contrary to public policy," i.e.: "offensive . . . such as anything of an explicit sexual nature, that denigrates a group, or is excessively violent without an educational value."
To Canadian filmmakers and aficionados, it boils down to censorship. Acclaimed Canadian director David Cronenberg believes Bill C-10 would destroy filmmakers' creative freedom and not allow them to produce "edgy dark movies that go places other filmmakers wouldn't venture." This would include his film Crash (1996) that was Rated NC-17 for numerous explicit sex scenes including sex in public, sadomasochism, adultery, homosexuality, and sexual violence. Other Canadian films that wouldn't make the cut would include The Boys of St. Vincent (1993) , John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus (2006) starring Sook, Atom Egoyan's Exotica (1994), Kissed (1996) a film about a woman who romanticizes death and becomes a necrophiliac as well as Young People Fucking (2007).Although not slated for release to the Canadian film-going public until June 13th, YPF filmmakers held the special Ottawa pre-release screening so Canadian MPs and senators who will be voting on the bill can judge for themselves if the film is offensive. Unfortunately, merely a handful of showed up. One who did is Liberal MP Mark Holland who believes "Given all the attention and controversy, I think we'd be well advised to go see it… Oftentimes in our society, things are condemned that nobody ever sees." It is typical of the Conservative government to prohibit funding for a film they didn't even see, based on a title alone.
Stephen Waddell, national executive director of the actor's union ACTRA, accuses the government of setting up a committee of "morality police" and "wonders whether the standards to be applied would be representative of a modern Canadian society or what he calls a 'fundamentalist perspective' borrowed from the United States." Behind the charge to "police the morality of Canadian artists" is Charles McVety, president of the Canada Family Action Coalition, who thinks it is his job to decide what films contain "dubious content" and whether or not Canadian adults have the right to view what the CFAC deems "perverted movies." The CFAC is a right-winged "family values" coalition who oppose women's right to abortion, same-sex marriage and other civil rights granted Canadians under the Charter of Rights. The CFAC would like to turn back the civil right movement, so it seems, and "take back their rightful place… to see Judeo-Christian moral principles restored in Canada."Recently, George Stroumboulopoulos from the CBC television show, The Hour, interviewed McVety who repeatedly evaded the question: "who determines what is offensive?" In response to this, Mark McKay posted a video, Kill Bill C-10, on YouTube, accusing the Conservative government of trying to play Big Brother and sneak Bill C-10 through the House of Commons-hidden deep within an income tax act-without debate. The Facebook Group, Keep your censoring hands off of Canadian film and TV! No to Bill C-10!, was one of the first groups to lobby against the proposed bill, citing it is undemocratic. Many other critics of the bill agree that it "is not only a violation of our Charter Rights and Freedoms but would most assuredly signal the demise of the film and television industry in Canada."
Do moral crusaders like right-wing religious groups and the Conservative government have the authority to censor what the rest of Canadian adults are allowed to watch as if they were preschoolers? It would be preposterous if it weren't so alarming.
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