When a film promises “plenty of wound-shagging and more penises than you can shake a stick at,” one can’t help but be a little intrigued (to say the least); but Bruce LaBruce’s latest film, described as “gay zombie porn,” has been banned from screening at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival.
The MIFF director, Richard Moore received a letter yesterday from the director of the Film Classification Board of Australia, Donald McDonald, stating that ‘L.A. Zombie’ was not to be screened as (in his own opinion) it would be refused classification.
Yet it seems film director LaBruce is taking to the news with open arms.
“My first thought was ‘Eureka!’… ‘I’ll never understand how censors don’t see that the more they try to suppress a film, the more people will want to see it. It gives me a profile I didn’t have yesterday,” he said.
The film follows an alien zombie that roams the streets of LA in search of dead bodies to engage in gay sex with. What do the corpses get out of this you may ask? Well, the deceased are shagged and brought back to life.
Those of you who wouldn’t sit through this type of movie to save your life need not complain – you don’t have to. But those of you who would’ve liked the opportunity to view the artistic merit behind such a film, should complain – since this ruling means you won’t even have the chance.
“Bruce LaBruce’s blend of sex and violence can be confronting, but I would argue that within the context of the festival, it is nonsensical and patronising to not allow people to decide what they want to see,” MIFF director Moore said.
The last film to be banned in Australia was seven years ago. In 2003, ‘Ken Park’ was banned for its explicit sexual content, including incest, and autoerotic asphyxiation. In protest, a rogue screening of the film was shown but soon shut down by police and arrests were made – including The Movie Show’s Margaret Pomeranz (a prominent anti-censorship campaigner).
The MIFF is unsure whether they will appeal this decision. The festival would have been the film’s second only public screening. ‘L.A. Zombie’ will now have its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland next week.
“I wasn’t expecting it with this one,” LaBruce said. “My film Otto screened in Melbourne and that also had a zombie penetrating another zombie.”
What about Lars von Trier’s 2009 film ‘Antichrist’ which had a limited theatrical run here in Australia? That showed explicit penetration, self-mutilation and torture. ‘L.A. Zombies’ is clearly fictional. Perhaps it’s the homoerotic scenes of the film that have board members feeling so uneasy. That wouldn’t be surprising. Just a word of warning: I’d watch out for Margaret.
We ask you, should the ban stand, or should we be given the right to decide? Let us know.
L.A. ZOMBIE (NOT) COMING SOON
