Motion Picture Rating System - Malaysia

Malaysia

Malaysia's motion picture rating system was introduced in 1996. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, all films in Malaysia, whether local or foreign, are scrutinised and then categorised by the Film Censorship Board Film Control Division before being distributed and screened to the public. The board was established under the Film Censorship Act 1952 and was later replaced by the Film Censorship Act 2002. In accordance to this act, the Film Censorship Board is appointed by the Minister of Home Affairs. A panel is then appointed by the chairman of the board to view each film.

Once the film is viewed, the board then categorises the film as follows:

• Approved
  • Lulus Bersih (Passed Clean ) (in this case the movie distributor can place "No Cuts!" on the film's advertisement)
  • Lulus Dengan Potongan (Passed with Cuts) (usually should the content of a scene is deemed inappropriate for screening by the Board; usually include nudity and/or sex scenes which are extended and/or irrelevant to the film's plot)

• Not Approved
  • Haram (Forbidden) (Equivalent to "Refused Classification", these films are banned from being screened or sold in Malaysia)
  • Ditolak (Rejected) (Application was refused without viewing the film in question)

Should a film be approved, the Board then assigns one of the following rating to it:

• U (Umum, literally General Audiences) – For general audiences. (Triangular sign, blue circle since 1 April 2012)

• P13 (formerly PG13) – (Penjaga, literally Guardian) - Viewers under 13 require guidance from a parent or guardian. Film may contain scenes that are inappropriate for younger children. The classification PG13 was introduced in 2007 and replaced with the new classification P13 in January 2012. Examples include The Dark Knight. (Circle with a horizontal line in the middle through its diameter, Yellow circle since 1 April 2012)

• 18 – This film is for aged 18 years and above only. No people under this age will be admitted. Film may contain adult themes, explicit scenes, mature content, nudity, strong language, and/or sex, etc. Shutter Island and Fire of Conscience are two of the first movies to be classified under this rating. This rating is used for 18+ movies released after 14 April 2010. Any 18+ movies shown in cinemas after that date will be classified as 18. The rating still uses the circle sign that the previous ratings 18SG, 18SX, 18PA and 18PL used. Any movies previously classified using the old 18+ ratings will now be re-classified as 18. However, video classification that still rated as the previous 18+ ratings is still valid. (Red circle since 1 April 2012)

Categories U and P13 are unrestricted, only 18 is a restricted category.
These new rating logos were used since 1 April 2012:
Prior to April 2010, there were four 18+ classification with two letters added, however, it has been abolished due to direction by the Film Censorship Board. The ratings are listed below:

• 18SG (Seram, Ganas, literally Graphic Violence and Horror/Terror) – Film contains strong violence, gore or horror/terror that people may find objectionable.

• 18SX (Seks, literally Sexual Content) – Film contains sex scenes, nudity and/or sexual dialogues/references that people may find objectionable.

• 18PA (Politik, Agama, literally Strong Religious or Political Elements) – Film contains elements which include religious, social or political aspects that people may find objectionable.

• 18PL (Pelbagai, literally Variety) – Film may contain strong violence, gore, horror/terror, sex scenes, nudity, sexual dialogues/references, religious, social and/or political aspects people may find objectionable. (Example: A film with strong violence and sexual references will be classified as 18PL).

18 rated films require an accompanying adult for underaged patrons, though cinemas reserve the right to refuse sale or deny admission to underages even with adult accompaniment as they see fit or needed.

All film and cinema advertisements in newspapers must clearly show the classification for a movie. For clarity reasons, cinema schedules in local newspapers only state the movie's rating if it is not rated as "U". All three ratings in use also cover other types of films (e.g. direct-to-video, documentaries, etc.) not released in cinemas.

Due to piracy of music CDs and DVD/VCDs in Malaysia, all original musical works or movies on any format are required to have a hologram sticker with the words "Tulen KPDN & HEP Original". For films (including those distributed on hard drives for digital projectors in cinemas), a movie certification sticker by the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia (Lembaga Penapisan Filem Malaysia) bearing the signature of the director and the words "Pengerusi Lembaga Penapisan Filem Malaysia", a serial number and the films classification is required before it can be sold.