Film censors in Vietnam are planning to introduce a rule that limits sex scenes to a maximum of five seconds.
According to a report on the Thanh News website, the proposal has been put forward by Ngo Phuong Lan, head of the country’s national movie bureau, as part of a wider reworking of the country’s film classification system. The report also quotes Lan as saying that no more than three “hot scenes” per movie would be allowed.
Vietnamese film-makers have reacted strongly against the suggestion, complaining of interference in artistic freedom. Thanh News reports that producer Nguyen Van Nhiem said “sex is a natural activity and there is no need to ask artists to keep artful sex scenes short” while Nguyen Thanh Van, the director of the Asia-Pacific film festival award winner Sandy Lives (aka Doi Cat), said that a scene “should be judged for its production and artistic value, not how technically long it is ... Some shots are under a second but they are unbearable anyway.”
Vietnamese censors have proved tough on sex scenes before, with Fifty Shades of Grey losing 20 minutes of its running time before it could be released in March 2015, with all 0f its celebrated S&M material removed, leaving only on-screen kisses.
Moreover, Thanh News reports that such the proposal only mentions a “totally nude actress” in its definition of a hot scene, leading to accusations of double standards and sexism.
However, according to the Hollywood Reporter, the national movie bureau has said “it would consider the public’s comments before the rules are finalised”.
