Censor Study

Censor Study for: Out of the Blue (2006)

1. Out of the Blue, Directed by Robert Sarkies

2. Chief Censor, Bill Hastings

3. Summary of classification; The film was submitted to the Office of Film and Literature Classification on 11 September 2006. The Classification office thought it was likely to have a strong impact on New Zealand audiences as it depicts real life events, that could be traumatic for people who were victims of the events depicted in this film. two consultations were held. One consultation was for the victims or relatives of victims and one for the wider community of Aramoana. The major opinion from people who had seen the film at the consultations was not to ban it but thought that it ought to have a rating to protect children. Of the people who had not seen the film the majority thought that it should be banned outright or have a restricted release such as only in cinemas and not DVD.

4. The Final decision for 'Out of the Blue' was to make it R15 with the description "contains violence and content that may disturb"on the grounds that it is an important part of New Zealand history and can be used for education purposes.