Court challenge on approval of videos

Press, 9 October 1987, Page 4

Court challenge on approval of videos

PA Wellington The Society for the Promotion of Community Standards has launched a Court challenge on the exhibition approval the chief film censor gave to two videos. In the High Court at Wellington yesterday the society’s lawyer, Mr Geoffrey Sharp, said the society wanted the approval quashed because it said the censor exercised his statutory power unreasonably. The two video films concerned are “Pretty As You Feel” and “Inches.” The chief film censor, Mr Arthur Everard, is the respondent in the society’s action. Mr Sharp said Mr Everard delegated his authority to examine the films to two assistant film censors. Both films were approved for exhibition to people over the age of 18 years. The films were ex-

amined for whether they were likely to be injurious to the public good. Mr Sharp said the society did not ask the Court to determine the films’ decency. It was asked to declare that the decision to approve both films was senseless and beyond the limits of reason. ' The true question was whether the censor’s statutory power had been exceeded. The censor must be held to have gone, astray somewhere, given the conclusion he was able to arrive at, Mr Sharp said. He said the censor's view seemed to be that no film could offend against the act if all it contained was depictions of consensual sex acts. I Mr Justice McGechan is hearing the society’s application for the Court to review the censor’s decision.