Wina Armada, the spokesperson for a film and cultural journalists’ community, said that FFI required its nominated films to have public screenings, Antara news agency reported.

But according to Law No. 33/2009 on film, cinematic works and advertisements need to obtain a censorship certificate prior to being shown in theaters and on TV.

The head of FFI 2017’s judging panel, Riri Riza, said during a media event on Tuesday that the committee had decided to allow movies without film censorship certificates to join the festival, as FFI aimed to be more inclusive.

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He added that the producers of Posesif had informed the festival committee about the movie’s certificate as well as its screening schedule.

Meanwhile, FFI 2017 committee vice chairman Totot Indrarto explained that the festival had undergone some changes, which included the removal of film censorship certificates as one of its requirements. 

He added that the decision was made upon seeing the new trend of movie enthusiasts becoming more familiar with micro cinemas and other screening platforms.

However, because FFI is funded by the government, it would be impossible for winners not to receive a film censorship certificate. In this case, a movie without a certificate would not be allowed to join the final round.

In regard to Posesif, Totot said its producers had submitted a proposal to the LSF on July 31, adding that there was no law stating that FFI could only nominate movies with film censorship certificates. (asw)