Motion Picture Rating System - Malta

Malta

In Malta, the vast majority of motion pictures do not receive a separate release/distribution, which means that local distributors import DVDs and Blu-ray Discs that bear classifications appointed in other countries: mainly, Great Britain and the United States. Motion picture consumers, therefore, refer to the BBFC, or its North American counterpart, for viewership guidance. Where public viewing is concerned, however, by rule of law, distributors must submit motion pictures to be shown in cinemas, for example, or for theatre reproduction, to a Government-appointed Board of Film and Stage Classification, which classifies productions in one of the following criteria:

• U (Universal) – Suitable for all.
• PG (Parental Guidance) – Some material may be unsuitable for younger children. Children under the age of 12 are to be accompanied by an adult.
• 12 – Suitable only for persons 12 years and older. Nobody under this age will be admitted.
• 14 – Suitable only for persons 14 years and older. Nobody under this age will be admitted.
• 16 – Suitable only for persons 16 years and older. Nobody under this age will be admitted.
• 18 – Suitable only for persons 18 years and older. Nobody under this age will be admitted.
• Banned – As a final resort, there are instances in which a few motion pictures as well as theatre productions have been banned from public viewing. This ban also extends to hardcore as well as softcore pornographic material, which remains illegal in the country as of 2010.

Naturally, since Maltese authorities regulate only public viewing material, it remains possible to acquire a film that the Board of Film and Stage Classification have classified as Banned at a DVD/Blu-ray disk shop, provided the shop imports from countries where the film has not been denied distribution, or is otherwise restricted. One example of such a film, available at local DVD shops yet banned for public viewing at the nation's cinemas, is Ken Park.

In spite of the widespread importation practices described above, pornographic material generally remains unavailable at local shops.

Unlike the BBFC, the Board of Film and Stage Classification does not cut motion pictures per se: the last motion picture cut, a brutal religious drama that was similarly classified as prohibited in Sweden, was heavily edited for viewership in 1985. The film, left largely unintelligible, garnered a negative response from the public, which led authorities to abandon their practice of tampering with films. Due in part to this reluctance, the possibility of having a film banned for public viewing in Malta is perhaps slightly greater than it is elsewhere, although changes in Maltese society, and the church's ever-diminishing loss of clout, have allowed, in this regard, for a tolerant environment that mirrors the practices of other European countries.