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censorship

""Thousand Year Films does NOT condone the idea of censorship but rather discretion and discernment."

Censorship is not merely the absence of ‘mature content’. It is entirely possible to have a movie that is ‘mature content’ free and it not be the result of censorship. Movies for children or families are great examples. They were written and produced without ‘mature subject’ matter from the beginning, and generally not suppressed in their expression.  If we are producing a film such as these our film content policy is largely irrelevant. 

The idea of censorship comes when the subject matter of a particular film moves into territories where more ‘mature themes’ intended for more ‘mature audiences’ where such ‘mature content’ would likely fit in context of the film, and then removing these elements from said production.  It’s in cases such as this, when we apply our film content policy as to what is acceptable and what is not in our films. 

Some would ask that if ‘mature content’ is such a grey area, why not just enforce a complete censorship just to be safe?

Thousand Year Films does not agree that full censorship or a complete blanket omission of such content is the appropriate answer to dealing with such material. The truth is; an extreme action such as this can also have incredibly negative effects.

• Censorship Is ‘lying by omission’ 
  In many cases, the act of censoring truly is ‘lying by omission’.  A lie by omission occurs when an important fact is left out in order to foster a misconception but can also include failure to correct pre-existing misconceptions.
   
• Censorship is binary and does not allow for ‘context’.
  This blanket approach looks at a piece of work from merely a surface level, or binary enforcement. It is far too technical; not allowing for any discernment or wisdom on part of the creator, or on the viewer as well. This ‘big brother’ approach has a negative drive to it that does not allow for things such as honesty or grace, things Thousand Year Films holds in high regard.
  
  Further, it does not allow for contextual meaning, almost as an extension of ‘lying by omission’ it doesn’t see the big picture. It doesn’t look or take into account the surrounding matter, and is a type of false attribution in which a passage is removed from its surrounding material in such a way as to distort its intended meaning or purpose. Taking something out of context is to ignore the overall meaning of something in order to assign undue importance or meaning to a part of it.
  
  When we create a film, we always look at the whole picture and not merely on a scene by scene, line by line method.

Censorship Has Negative Effects

It is 'lying by omission'

It is binary and does not allow for context

It limits topics that can be explored authentically

It can be disrespectful.

• Censorship can be disrespectful.
  Misrepresenting something by ‘dumbing it down’, removing the ugly parts, diminishing the ‘pain’, or not showing it ‘as it is’; by cutting out all manifestations; words, actions, images, that could be deemed ‘inappropriate’, is lying through omission, and when this is done, it becomes an expression of far less strength than what would be expected.  In other words, it is minimizing, downplaying, or making light of.
  
  Censoring creates a false portrayal.  It is false because everyone in their actual life, at some time or another, will go through what could be considered an ‘R rated’ experience. It can be painful, it can be dramatically life altering, it can be emotionally crippling, it can be physically and mentally incapacitating. It can bring a great loss, affect their relationships with others, be humiliating, and create feelings of shame and brokenness.

"There is nothing more insulting for someone than to hear someone or watch something (like a film) trivialize a painful experience they have endured."