The Appeal Tribunal of the South Africa Film and Publication Board (FPB) announced on Wednesday morning that queer Xhosa initiation film "Inxeba" had officially been banned from playing at mainstream South African cinemas, and will now only be screened at "designated adult premises".
The film, which has seen nationwide protests and cinema shutdowns for its depiction of queer love at the secret Xhosa ritual, has been bumped up from its 16LS classification to an X18 rating by the FPB for "classifiable elements of sex, language, nudity, violence and prejudice".
The reasons for the decision will be announced in a forthcoming statement by the tribunal, which was brought to them on applications lodged by CONTRALESA Gauteng and The Men and Boy Foundation.
The foundation's complaints were largely based on the "perceived cultural insensitivity and distortion of the Xhosa circumcision tradition (Ulwaluko), strong language in the film".
The FPB says the act governing the decision will "protect" children from exposure to "disturbing and harmful material" and from "premature exposure to adult experiences".
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