The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is an independent non-governmental organization that has been classifying films in the UK since 1912 and videos/DVDs since 1984. They assign age ratings from U (universal) to 18 (only for adults) based on the type and frequency of content like violence, language, sex, and more. U films are family friendly, PG may have mild themes unsuitable for young children, 12A means under 12s must be accompanied by an adult, 15 and 18 films can contain more graphic or frequent problematic content restricted to older viewers. The BBFC examines all films and videos before release to classify them and inform consumers.

2. WHO ARE THE BBFC?
•THE BRITISH BOARD OF FILM CLASSIFICATION IS AN INDEPENDENT, NON-
GOVERNMENTAL BODY WHICH HAS CLASSIFIED CINEMA FILMS SINCE IT WASSET UP IN
1912 AND VIDEOS/ DVDS SINCE THE VIDEO RECORDINGS ACT WAS PASSEDIN 1984.

3. THE CLASSIFICATIONS
• ‘U’ stands for universal, this means
that there are no restrictions on who
can watch it. U grade films are family
friendly and are typically films for
young children. However the themes
of U films are very wide as long as the
use is clearly justified.

4. THE CLASSIFICATIONS
• PG stands for parental guidance, these are
films suitable for general viewing but may
contain scenes which may be unsuitable for
young children. Films that are PG rated tend to
be used for educational purposes to aid the
awareness of subjects such as bullying.

5. THE CLASSIFICATIONS
• FILMS THAT CONTAIN MATERIAL THAT IS SEEN AS
UNSUITABLE FOR THOSE WHO ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 12,
FILMS THAT ARE LABELLED AS 12A ARE ACCEPTABLE FOR
THOSE WHO ARE 12 IF THEY ARE ACCMPANIED BY AN ADULT.
• SOME MODERATE LANGAUGE MAY BE USED BUT ONLY
WITHIN CERTAIN CONTEXTS ADDITIOANLLY ONLY VERBAL
SEXUAL REFERENCES MAY BE SAID BUT ONLY IF THEY ARE
INFREQUENT.

6. THE CLASSIFICATIONS
• Films that are only to be viewed by those who
are 15 and above. These films contain some
sexual scenes, strong language and strong
violence .
• There are lots of similarities between a 15 and
the higher 18 except the scale on which the
subjects are used. An 18 will contain subjects
on a more graphic scale.

7. THE CLASSIFICATIONS
• These are films permitted only for the
viewing of adults. Films rated 18 can contain
strong language, strong violence, sexual
scenes and visible gore. There are no limits
on strong language use, so expect the use
of taboo language to be freely expressed.

8. HOW DOES CLASSIFICATION WORK ?
• “IN ORDER TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM UNSUITABLE AND EVEN HARMFUL CONTENT IN FILMS AND
VIDEOS AND TO GIVE CONSUMERS INFORMATION THEY MIGHT NEED ABOUT APARTICULAR FILM OR
VIDEO BEFORE DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT TO VIEW IT, THE BBFC EXAMINES AND AGE RATES FILMS AND
VIDEOS BEFORE THEY ARE RELEASED. THIS INDEPENDENT SCRUTINY PRIORTO RELEASE ENSURES THE
HIGHEST POSSIBLE LEVEL OF PROTECTION AND EMPOWERMENT.”-WWW.BBFC.CO.UK

9. RATINGS FOR OUR THRILLER
• AS THE GENRE WE WOULD HAVE CHOSEN IS GOING TO BE EITHER GANGSTEROR HORROR-THRILLER, THE
GRADING OF THE FILM WILL BE A 15. THIS ALLOWS US TO HAVE SOME FREEDOM WHEN IT COMES TO
CERTAIN SCENARIOS AS TYPICALLY WITHIN GANGSTER THRILLERS THERE IS VIOLENCE AND THE GENRE
OF HORROR IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN.