15 certificate
The 15 certificate is issued by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), to state that in its opinion, a film, video recording, or game should not be seen or purchased by a person under 15 years old.
As with other British film certificates, the 15 certificate theoretically only has advisory power for films shown in public cinemas, with the ultimate say being held by local authorities. In practice, the local authorities tend to follow BBFC rulings in all but a few exceptional cases.
For video and game sales, the BBFC rulings have statutory power, as under the terms of the 1984 Video Recordings Act all videos sold or distributed within the UK must either be given a certificate by the BBFC, unless they fall into a number of exempt categories. Uncertificated recordings which are not exempt cannot legally be sold, regardless of content.
All films need to be analysed on a case by case basis as it can be very difficult to class certain situations on film without actually viewing it and analysing such details. If a film is to be certified as 15, in the United Kingdom, it has to be around certain guidelines. The following is a list of what is most likely to warrant a 15 certificate, although it is a very rough guide:
- The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.[1]
- Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. Promotion of drugs which are easy to obtain are unlikely to be allowed.[1]
- Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.[1]
- Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) can be allowed provided the detail of such is low so that it can not create too much of an impression of the viewer. Abuse of weapons which are easily obtained will not be tolerated.[1]
- Frequent use of strong language can be permitted, although very strong language needs to be restricted and would have to be seen as reasonable in the context. Frequent usage of very strong language would be seldom allowed.[1]
- Nudity in a sexual content must be restricted however nudity in a non-sexual content does not.[1]
- Sexual activity without strong detail would most likely to be allowed. Some strong sexual references may be allowed to, but very strong ones may not, unless used within reason. Sexual acts or references with the intention of causing arousal is not likely to be permitted.[1]
- As long as the film is appropriate for 15 year olds, no certain themes are prohibited.[1]
- Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. The same applies to references. Any sexual violence should be discreet and be strongly justified.[1]
Examples
Many films rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America in the US receive the 15 certificate in the UK (as 15 is the closest equivalent to the MPAA 'R' rating), however several PG-13 rated films have received the 15 certificate on the basis of their content being "considered unsuitable" at the 12A category, which allows children under 12 to view the film if accompanied by an adult. Examples of these include the James Bond film Licence to Kill, Couples Retreat, Easy A, Cloverfield, Ultraviolet, The Last Exorcism and "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!". These films carry considerably lower certificates in most other countries. Some of these films would have been rated 12 had the rating existed at that time, but have not been re-submitted due to the high cost of submitting a film for rating.