Allowing kids to watch adult movies, parents could be fined
Monday, August 06, 2012, 10:13 GMT+7
Although all movies are labeled to classify audiences before being released at cinemas, Vietnamese adults seem to usually underestimate that and take children along with them.
“Mom, what are they doing?”
The lack of adult care over controlling what children should watch on the screen sometimes causes awkward moments. At a screening held by the Vietnam Cinematography Association, organizers let children attend the screening of a French love movie which was only for adults.
In the middle of the movie, there was a hot scene and the whole stadium felt embarrassed when a little kid asked her mom loudly, “Mom, what are they doing on the screen?” The mother seemed to have no choice and “smartly” answered, “They are massaging each other.”
The recent premiere of the movie “The Dictator,” directed by Larry Charles, in Ho Chi Minh also saw a woman bring her two children into the cinema even though the film is labeled NC-16, which means viewers under 16 are not permitted to watch.
A similar situation occurred at the premiere of the blockbuster “The Dark Knight Rises.” The problem is, despite the fact that in the US the movie is labeled PG-13, which warns that there will be scenes inappropriate for children under 13, it’s not labeled in Vietnam.
By way of explanation, Mariam El Bancha, director of operations at local movie distributor MegaStar, said that unlike the US’s regulations in labeling movies at many levels, local regulation divide movies into just three types: NC-16, banned and censored movies. So there’s no label to warn children under 13 of the movie.
By letting kids watch inappropriate movies, adults could be fined
In response Ngo Phuong Lan, head of the Cinema Department, said that organizers or individuals who allow children to come to cinemas and watch movies which are labeled only for adults will be sanctioned.
According to her, the Cinematography Law bans children from watching movies with content inappropriate for their physiological and personal development. Violators who let children enter screenings of adult-labeled movies will be fined or even charged criminally, in accordance with the law.
