A victory for Inxeba producers as film is allowed back in cinemas

06 March 2018 - 10:33 By Jessica Levitt and Kyle Zeeman
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Inxeba will be back on screens soon.
Inxeba will be back on screens soon.
Image: Supplied

Fans of Inxeba (The Wound) will now be able to watch the film in cinemas after an appeal on the reclassification of the film to X18 was taken to court.

Producers of the film and the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa agreed that the X can be taken out of the rating, essentially resulting in the film now being allowed to be screened in cinemas again.

Producers were appealing a decision made by the Film and Publication Board's Appeals Tribunal, which reclassified it from 16LS to X18 - the same as hardcore porn.

The decision meant the film was immediately withdrawn from cinemas and could only be viewed at a designated adult venue (sex shop).

The decision over the 18 rating has been postponed to March 28.

In their application for the interdict to overturn the rating, Indigenous Film's Helen Kuun said the tribunal refused producer's requests for them to postpone their ruling on the X18 rating, and had not given them the right to a fair hearing. She further claimed the tribunal had no jurisdiction to hear the appeal and thus its decision was "unlawful."

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