Aramoana film given R15 rating

A film about the massacre at Aramoana in 1990 has been given an R15 rating.

Chief Censor Bill Hastings has also given Out of the Blue a descriptive note "violence and content that may disturb".

It is based on events in a remote Otago beach settlement where gunman David Gray killed eight adults and four children before he was shot by police.

It has caused controversy in the area with some people opposing the film.

The Office of Film and Literature Classification said the film was restricted because the murders it shows are likely to cause younger viewers distress and threaten their sense of personal safety.

Mr Hastings said: "Children's sense of security relies on the belief that their parents or the police can protect them. The film shows children being killed by a person they know in circumstances where their parents and the police are helpless to defend them."

"Out of the Blue deals with recent events involving real people. For that reason we consulted with the families of victims and the Aramoana community. We were impressed by the articulate and heartfelt comments they made at our meetings."

He said the people consulted held a wide range of views about the most appropriate classification. Some recommended that it be banned, while most of those consulted who had seen the film suggested age restrictions.

There was general agreement that the film was not suitable for children and that it was likely to make them fearful, Mr Hastings said.

However, he added that the film deals with violence in a realistic but restrained way and said the effect the film on its audience was likely to depend on the circumstances of the viewer.

Mr Hastings said: "For some of those closely involved in the events it portrays the film may be upsetting and traumatic. Other people may view it as a sensitive portrayal of the responses of ordinary people to horrific events."

Movie director Robert Sarkies said he was happy with the R15 rating but concerned Mr Hastings had spoken to people involved in the tragedy before making his decision.

Mr Sarkies said the move was unusual and could set a precedent.

He said he was not sure the subject of a film was the right person to determine the censorship of that film.


>> Read the classification decision

- NZHERALD STAFF