Created on May 1, 1994, it is jointly funded by all three provinces through the Council of Atlantic Premiers. Nova Scotia is the lead administrator of the program, which provides office space and employees through its Alcohol and Gaming Authority.
Prior to 1994, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia provided their own ratings for theatrical films and rating stickers for videos. However, the New Brunswick ratings were usually identical to those provided by the Nova Scotia Film Classification Board, thus the decision to amalgamate services. Prince Edward Island had no classification board and usually used the ratings from New Brunswick.
Under new legislation in all three provinces, each province can continue to individually regulate and enforce the exhibition and distribution of films, as well as licence theatres and video stores, this specifically includes banning operations, designating adult video stores, etc.
Rating categories
The icons for the currently used rating system.
The following ratings were adopted on April 1, 2005 and are currently in use:
General (G) – Suitable for viewers of all ages.
Parental Guidance (PG) – Parental guidance is advised. Theme or content may not be suitable for all children.
14 Accompaniment (14A) – Suitable for viewing by persons 14 years of age and older. Persons under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. May contain: violence, coarse language and/or sexually suggestive scenes.
18 Accompaniment (18A) – Suitable for viewing by persons 18 years of age and older. Persons under 18 must be accompanied by an adult; however, there is a 14–17 year limit on persons being permitted to view such films. Persons under 14 years of age are strictly prohibited from viewing the film. May contain: explicit violence, frequent coarse language, sexual activity and/or horror.
Restricted (R) – Admittance restricted to persons 18 years of age and over. No rental or purchase by those under 18. Content not suitable for minors. Contains frequent use of sexual activity, brutal/graphic violence, intense horror and/or other disturbing content.
Adult (A) – Film is not suitable for viewers under 18 years of age because the sole or primary premise for the film is the depiction of explicit sexual activity, graphic nudity, or graphic violence.
The supervising guardian, in the case of 14A and 18A films, must be 19 years of age or older.
Classification information pieces:
Not Recommended For Young Children: The film may be inappropriate for young children. An example might be the death of a family pet, a complicated family breakdown, images considered frightening or disturbing for the very young, or cursing.
Not Recommended For Children: The film may include scenes that reflect a more mature situation, such as drug use/abuse.
Frightening Scenes: The film contains images that might shock or frighten a person. These scenes might be found in a thriller, suspense or war genre.
Mature Theme: Contains images or storylines that may be disturbing or incomprehensible to minors. The film may contain portrayals of domestic violence, racism, religious matters, death or controversial social issues.
Language May Offend: Contains language that may be offensive to some groups, (i.e. sacrilegious language such as Goddamn; also used for PG films that contain expletives.) Some G movies use this language.
Coarse Language: Product contains profanity, threats, slurs, sexual references or sexual innuendo.
Crude Content: Material or humour that is unrefined or coarse and that may be seen as harsh, rude, or offensive.
Nudity: Contains images of full-frontal, partial or rear nudity. The context will be determined by the situation, clarity, detail, repetition, and whether the nudity is in a non-sexual or sexual situation.
Sexual Content: Film may contain images and/or verbal references of sexual theme, sexual innuendo, fondling, implied sexual activity and simulated sexual activity.
Violence: May contain restrained portrayals of non-graphic violence, portrayals of violence with some bloodletting and/or tissue damage and frequent more prolonged portrayals of violence resulting in bloodletting and tissue damage. The degree frequency and intensity of the acts of violence will be factors in the classification decision. Used in all ratings.
Disturbing Content: Indicates the expected natural reaction by an audience to any elements of a film including the tone of a film pertaining to distress or suffering. This includes the implication or threat of physical and/or psychological violence, even when violence is not depicted.
Substance Abuse: Descriptive scenes depicting; the use of illegal substances, the excessive use of tobacco or the use of alcohol resulting in impairment.
Gory Scenes: Graphic images of bloodletting and/or tissue damage. Includes horror or war representations. Degree, frequency and intensity will also be a major factor in the classification decision.
Explicit Sexual Content: Sexual acts, shown in full, clear, unequivocal and realistic detail, that may or may not be gratuitous to the film.
Brutal Violence: Visually explicit portrayals of violence, which may be characterized by extreme brutality, extreme bloodletting and/or extreme tissue damage. May include images of torture, horror or war.
Sexual Violence: The degradation of an individual in a sexual manner. May contain images of non-consensual acts with the intent to inflict harm, for example, simulated rape, and/or the use of threat to force compliance in sexual activity.
Also in April 2005, the province of Nova Scotia officially adopted the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) system of classification for video games.
Source for rating information: Maritime Film Classification Board website.
History
In the early 1900s, motion pictures were rising in popularity. It was decided nationally that censorship of them was necessary in order to be suitable for a wide, general audience of varying ages, mental, and educational levels. However, since national censorship for such a large and diverse country was unworkable, each province would censor according to their own provincial community standards. However, Ontario would be the "main" censor in that theatrical prints would be censored/edited by the Ontario censors then distributed throughout Ontario, and the other provinces. The other provinces would provide additional censorship/editing if it was necessary for their own province.
In the Maritimes, motion pictures were censored for a general audience until the 1950s when the provincial film censor boards began to simply attach an "Adult rating" warning to films if necessary, if the approved film was deemed suitable for adults. All films were still subject to editing by censors if necessary.
The following ratings were used from the late 1960s to the early 1980s:
General Entertainment
Adult Entertainment
Admittance Restricted to persons 18 years of age or over.
Films were still subject to editing by censors until the 1980s, when the boards slowly drifted towards classification. Films that were made for the purpose of "pornography" or "excessive violence" were rejected altogether. Around 1984, rating captions were created for use with all categories. These warnings underwent a few changes over the next few years.
In the late 1980s, the ratings were altered slightly and remained unchanged until December 31, 1993:
General (G) – Suitable for general audiences.
Adult (A) – Suitable for ages 14 and older. These films may contain scenes involving hand-to-hand combat, the use of weapons with brief scenes of blood-letting or killing, scenes involving brief or casual nudity, implicit sexual activity not visually portrayed, horror scenes, use of coarse or vulgar language, or violence or nudity that is integral to the plot.
Restricted (R) – Suitable for ages 18 and older. These films may contain prolonged scenes depicting violence with blood-letting, graphic depiction of accident, intense horror, full nudity, rape or sexual activity, or repeated use of offensive language.
Exempt (E) – Certain videos were exempt from classification if they were educational videofilms used for instruction in educational institutions, cultural videofilms, heritage videofilms, religious videofilms, children's cartoons, travelogues, political videofilms, videofilms used for industrial or business promotions, videofilms of sporting events, and instructional "how-to" videofilms, other than sexual.
It was around this time that the home video market began to increase in popularity and pornographic films were no longer rejected. Pornographic videos would receive a Restricted rating with an "Explicit Sex" caption. These videos would require segregation from non-pornographic videos.
Some of the captions:
Extreme Violence
Offensive Language
Language May Offend
May Frighten Young Children
May Offend Some Religious Beliefs
Not Recommended For Children
Nude Scenes
Parental Guidance Recommended
Some Scenes May Offend
Violent Scenes
Not Suitable for Children
Perversions
Objectional Material
Explicit Sex
The following ratings were used from January 1, 1994 to March 31, 2005:
General (G) – Considered to be suitable for all ages. No restrictions on viewing.
Parental Guidance (PG) – All ages may attend. However, parents should know that the theme or content of the film may be more mature than in general films. It may be appropriate for those 8 years of age and over. Some titles may carry an additional information caption.
Captions for PG:
Frightening Scenes
Language Warning
Mature Theme
Adult Accompaniment (14) – Considered to be suitable for those 14 years of age and older. Those under 14 must be escorted by an adult.
A film with this rating may contain:
Scenes of limited violence
The use of weapons without excessive blood-letting
Restrained portrayal of accident or disaster
Scenes of casual or brief nudity, romantic involvement that is not sexually explicit, where participants are at least partially clothed
Some coarse or vulgar language
Captions for 14:
Violent Scenes
Nude Scenes
Blood Letting
Offensive Language
Sexual Content
Controversial Subject Matter
Mature Subject Matter
Gory Scenes
Restricted (18) – Considered to be suitable for those 18 years of age or older. Those under 18 must be escorted by a parent or legal guardian.
Films with this rating may contain:
Excessive use of foul or offensive language
Depictions of extreme violence and horror
Graphic sexual activity
Captions for 18:
Offensive Language Throughout
Extreme Violence
Explicit Nudity
Graphic Sexual Content
Controversial Subject Matter
Explicit Material (XXX)
These films contain:
Sexually explicit scenes
Graphically or excessively violent scenes
Captions for XXX:
Explicit Sex
Excessive Violence
Exempt (E) – Some types of videos are exempt from classification and will carry an E label. These videos have not been viewed by the Authority. They may include children's cartoons, travelogues, instructional videos, athletic events and cultural, industrial, religious or political material.
Not Approved (NA) – The Authority may prohibit the display, exhibition, sale, lease, rental, exchange or distribution of a film where the film contains:
(a) a graphic or prolonged scene of violence, torture, crime, cruelty, horror or human degradation;
(b) the depiction of the physical abuse or humiliation of human beings for the purposes of sexual gratification or as pleasing to the victim;
(c) a scene where a person who is or is intended to represent a person under the age of sixteen years appears in a scene of explicit and exploitative sexual activity;
(d) a scene depicting indignities to the human body or an animal in an explicit manner.
Source for rating information: Maritime Film Classification Board website.
An X rating is a film rating that indicates that the film contains content that is considered to be suitable only for adults. Films with an X rating may have scenes of graphic violence or explicit sex that may be disturbing or offensive to some viewers. The X rating is used in different ways by different countries, and it may have legal or commercial implications for the distribution and exhibition of such films. For example, some countries may ban or restrict the sale or rental of X-rated films, while others may allow them only in specific theaters or with special taxes. Some countries may also have different criteria or definitions for what constitutes an X-rated film, and some may consider the artistic merit of the film as a factor in classification. The X rating has been replaced or renamed by other ratings in some countries over time.
The Motion Picture Associationfilm rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion pictures are the responsibility of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), previously known as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) from 1945 to 2019. The MPA rating system is a voluntary scheme that is not enforced by law; films can be exhibited without a rating, although most theaters refuse to exhibit non-rated or NC-17 rated films. Non-members of the MPA may also submit films for rating. Other media, such as television programs, music and video games, are rated by other entities such as the TV Parental Guidelines, the RIAA and the ESRB, respectively.
A motion picture content rating system classifies films based on their suitability for audiences due to their treatment of issues such as sex, violence, or substance abuse, their use of profanity, or other matters typically deemed unsuitable for children or adolescents. Most countries have some form of rating system that issues determinations variously known as certifications, classifications, certificates, or ratings. Age recommendations, of either an advisory or restrictive capacity, are often applied in lieu of censorship; in some jurisdictions movie theaters may have a legal obligation to enforce restrictive ratings.
In broadcasting, the watershed is the time of day after which programming with content deemed suitable only for mature or adult audiences is permitted.
The Canadian Home Video Rating System (CHVRS) is a voluntary rating classification system applied to films on VHS and DVDs. It is administered by the Motion Picture Classification Corporation of Canada, a subsidiary of the Motion Picture Association – Canada (MPA–C). Ratings are "averaged" from ones given by participating provincial film boards: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Maritimes, Ontario, and Saskatchewan and applied by the distributor to home video packaging.
Television content rating systems are systems for evaluating the content and reporting the suitability of television programmes for minors. Many countries have their own television rating system and countries' rating processes vary by local priorities. Programmes are rated by the organization that manages the system, the broadcaster, or the content producers.
The Ontario Film Review Board is an inactive agency of the government of the Canadian province of Ontario that was formerly responsible for that province's motion picture rating system. Until 2015, the board reported to the Minister of Consumer Services but as of 1 October 2015, the board was overseen by the Ontario Film Authority. The board's activities were based on the Film Classification Act, 2005.
The Saskatchewan Film and Video Classification Board is a board of the Saskatchewan Department of Justice responsible for providing film and video classification documents to movie theatres in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The Board was formerly responsible for reviewing films and granting film ratings, but since 1 October 1997 these duties have been done by the British Columbia Film Classification Office on Saskatchewan's behalf.
The 18 certificate is issued by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), to state that in its opinion, a film, video recording, or game is suitable only for persons aged 18 years and over. It recommends that no one below that age should be admitted to view a film with an 18 certificate in a cinema, and that 18-rated video recordings should not be sold or rented to anyone below that age.
The TV Parental Guidelines are a television content rating system in the United States that was first proposed on December 19, 1996, by the United States Congress, the American television industry, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and went into effect by January 1, 1997, on most major broadcast and cable networks in response to public concerns about increasing amounts of mature content in television programs. It was established as a voluntary-participation system, with ratings to be determined by the individual participating broadcast and cable networks.
The British Columbia Film Classification Office, part of Consumer Protection BC in the Canadian province of British Columbia, is responsible for rating and censoring films under the province's Motion Picture Act. The BCFCO film ratings are also used by Manitoba and Saskatchewan by bilateral agreement.
Censorship in Singapore mainly targets political, racial, religious issues and homosexual content as defined by out-of-bounds markers.
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board is a Philippine government agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines that is responsible for the classification and review of television programs, motion pictures and home videos.
The Manitoba Film Classification Board (MFCB) was a provincial government organization responsible for rating films and video games rented, sold, or shown in the province of Manitoba. In mid 2018, the Board was dissolved, with its duties being outsourced to British Columbia for film classifications, and transferred to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) for video games.
The Régie du cinéma was a provincial film classification organization responsible for the motion picture rating system within the Canadian province of Quebec. Existing in several guises since the start of the 20th century, the organization came into being in its final form as a department of the Government of Quebec's Ministry of Culture and Communications (MCC) on 23 June 1983. Its roles were merged and fully integrated into the MCC on 1 April 2017. Its mandate was to classify and approve films for distribution to Quebec's movie theatres and home video outlets. Its purview devolved from the Cinema Act. As of 2010, the organization had a net income of 7 million dollars and had accumulated more than 85 million dollars in cash in their bank account.
The Australian Classification Board is an Australian government statutory body responsible for the classification and censorship of films, video games and publications for exhibition, sale or hire in Australia. The ACB was established in 1970 and was once part of the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC), which was dissolved in 2006. The Department of Communications and the Arts provided administrative support to the ACB from 2006 until 2020, when it was merged into the 'mega department' of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. Decisions made by the ACB may be reviewed by the Australian Classification Review Board. The ACB now operates under the Commonwealth Classification Act 1995. The ACB is made up of a director, a deputy director, and three other board members, appointed by the government for three- or four-year terms, and temporary board members. The ACB is located in Sydney, New South Wales.
The Australian Classification Review Board is a statutory censorship and classification body overseen by the Australian Government. The corporate body is responsible for reviewing classification decisions made by the Australian Classification Board concerning films, video games and publications for exhibition, sale or hire in Australia. Review decisions need to be initiated by an appeal from a previous applicant, most commonly referred to as "aggrieved party", or a Federal or State Attorney-General.
Film censorship in Malaysia is pervasive, and the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia is the government ministry that which dictates whether, when, and how a film gets released in the country. It is under the control of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The government censors film content for mainly homosexual, political and religious reasons.
Media regulation in the Republic of Singapore is carried out by the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) and effected by various laws.
The Kenya Film Classification Board is a state corporation that operates under the Government of Kenya whose mandate is to "regulate the creation, broadcasting, possession, distribution and exhibition of films by rating them." The Board was founded in 1963 with the commencement of the laws outlined in the Films and Stage Plays Act of 1962 and has since involved itself in the rating and classification of films and television programmes. More recently, it has caused controversy by banning several films, such as the American box office success The Wolf of Wall Street, the Kenyan film Stories of Our Lives, Rafiki, and the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey based on the novel of the same name. The Board has also regulated television content, including advertisements.
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