Certificate Rating

The chosen age rating for our film is 15. Below are the classifications of a 15 film.

Suitable only for 15 years and over

No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.

Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror

Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

Language

There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest  terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity

Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Theme

No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.

Our thoughts on why we gave it a certificate of 15:

The demographic for our film is people mainly aged 15 to 50 who enjoy gripping, heart-warming stories with a sinister twist. People who enjoy related films such as Shifty and Taken may be interested to watch as it covers some of the basic elements of each without being a blatant copy. The certificate of 15 was chosen so that we can include some scenes involving drug use, kidnapping and strong violence, which may appeal to the more desensitised audience who prefer grungy, urban and realistic scenarios to glitzy Hollywood fakeries. A male audience would probably be more suited to watch the film due to the violent nature of some scenes and the overall theme, drugs. On the other hand there is something for everyone in our film, which makes it appeal to infinitely larger audience.