For a province whose largest city has affectionately been nicknamed “Hollywood North,” BC sure does like to shoot itself in the foot when it comes to film distribution.

For nearly two years, we've heard the phrase “Elbows Up” when it comes to supporting Canadian industries, whether that's natural resources, farming, tourism, or manufacturing. Yet, we haven't heard nearly as much about the arts.

Well, we here at Destroyed would like to use our film festival to shine a light on a particular bugaboo that we think doesn’t get enough attention: BC’s film rating and classification system. 

BC offers tax breaks and other incentives to encourage film and television production. We spend public money helping films get made, creating jobs, and bringing productions to the province (Hi Arrowverse!). That's great, but making a film only supports half of the film industry. 

Under BC's Motion Picture Act, films need to be reviewed, classified, and approved before they can be shown in a movie theatre. That means paperwork, fees, and bureaucracy.

In other words, we're helping people make films while making it harder for them to show those films in the exact same place they were made. 

How much does it cost?

In 2026, BC charges $2.75 per minute to classify a film. For a 90-minute movie, that's $247.50. In 2027, it will go up to $3.00 per minute due to “inflation.”

That doesn’t include the distribution license you need to purchase to be able to submit the film, which ranges in price from $43 to $901, depending on how many films you plan on submitting.

There can also be licence fees and extra charges if a film is being shown in more than one place at the same time.

Let's break it down:

Let's say you made a 90-minute film. You want to show it at a theatre in Victoria and in Vancouver on the same night at the same time. 

First, you pay $247.50 to have the film reviewed and rated.

Then, because you want to show it in two theatres at the same time, you need a second approved copy. BC charges another $1.40 per minute for that copy. That's another $126.

You've now paid $373.50 just to have the same film approved twice because it’s being shown at the same time.

Nothing has changed about the film. There are no new scenes. No new score. No new CGI. The rating hasn't changed. You're just trying to show it to more people.

Now, you can avoid paying for that second copy by changing the screening times so they don't overlap.

Let's say a theatre in Victoria wants to show your film at 7 PM, and a theatre in Vancouver also wants to show it at 7 PM. Under the current rules, you'd need to pay for a second approved copy.

But if one theatre changes its screening to 9 PM, so the screenings no longer overlaps, you can use the same approved copy without paying that extra fee.

Think about that. The exact same film, in the exact same theatres, on the exact same day. The only difference is what time it starts. Now the theatres have to work around a rule instead of choosing the screening times that make the most sense for their audiences.

What if 7 PM is the best time to sell tickets? Moving a screening later could mean fewer people show up. That means less money for the theatre and for the filmmaker.

So you're left with two choices: pay more money to show your film at the same time, or change your schedule and risk selling fewer tickets.

And what if you want to show your film in five theatres? Or ten? Well, that’s one original rating, and nine copies you have to buy, even though they are all the same film.

For a large film company, these extra costs might not mean much - though they do matter. But for small budgeted films, that money quickly adds up.

You're being squeezed.

What about Canadian films?

BC spends money helping film and television productions get made. The goal is to create jobs, support Canadian talent, and grow our film industry. But many Canadian films never get a wide release. They depend on small theatres, local film festivals, and community screenings to find an audience.

These screenings are often run by people who aren't making much money. Some are volunteers. Others are filmmakers trying to share their work and have to all of a sudden figure out how to navigate legislation.

So why are we charging people money to show films that we're already spending public money to help make?

Global Cinema 

It's not just Canadian films that have to be rated and approved. Films from around the world have to go through the same process.

Films from the United States, France, Indonesia, Mexico, India, Kenya, and every corner of the planet all face the same requirements before they can be shown in BC theatres.

Why is this important? Because it limits the number of voices we get to hear from.

Showing a film is a gamble. It's a gamble for filmmakers, distributors, and theatres. It costs money to bring a film to an audience, and there's often very little room for error. This is why your popcorn is $18 dollars. You need to recover the cost somehow.

Now imagine you're a small theatre thinking about showing a film from Malaysia. It's a film that hasn't been shown in BC before. It doesn't have a major distributor, a million-dollar advertising campaign, or an audience that's already familiar with it.

You have to pay to bring the film in, promote it, and hope enough people buy tickets to cover your costs. On top of that, you have to deal with the cost of getting it rated and approved.

At some point, you might look at your budget and decide it just isn't worth the risk, especially if you previously had films that didn’t land. So instead, you show something familiar or with an audience already bought in. Some sort of sequel to Marvel-boondogle 38 ½, or something to that effect.

When we make it more expensive to show films, we make it harder for new filmmakers and different voices to reach an audience. We end up seeing more of what we already know and less of what we don't. 

Film gives us a chance to see how other people live, think, and understand the world. It introduces us to places, cultures, humor, romance, horror and countless ideas we might never come across otherwise.

The more barriers we put between these films and their audiences, the fewer opportunities we have to experience them.

It also makes it difficult for theatres to carve out their own niche. If everyone decides it’s too risky to take chances on a new film or the time it takes to build an audience up isn’t worth it, then we’re not doing enough to support a thriving film going industry.

Aren't there exemptions?

Some Canadian films, film societies, and nonprofit groups can have their fees waived. But not everyone qualifies. There are rules and conditions, and getting a fee waived doesn't always mean you can skip the approval process. It also means that you can only show your film to a 19+ audience. Sorry, kids.

We don’t believe that someone should have to form a non-profit society and exclude others to qualify for exemptions. We believe that non-profits and small businesses should stand on equal footing when it comes to showing films.

Who gets to decide what we watch?

BC's film classification system isn't just about putting an age rating on a movie.

Under the Motion Picture Act, the government can require certain scenes to be removed or to refuse approval for a film.  That means the government can have a say in what films are allowed to be shown in our theatres.

We don't think that should be its job.

We're not saying people shouldn't know what's in a movie. Ratings and content warnings can still help people decide what they want to watch. But there's a difference between giving people information and requiring government permission to show a film.

What are we asking for?

DUFF (Destroyed Underground Film Festival) is calling on the Government of British Columbia to end the mandatory film rating and classification system.

We want a system where filmmakers and theatres can choose to provide age ratings and content warnings without having to pay for government approval.

We want theatres to have more freedom to show any film they choose without incurring cost. And we want Canadian filmmakers to have more chances to share their work with Canadian audiences.

We will be submitting this petition to the next Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General when they are sworn in. So share wide and far. Send a letter to the BC's Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General - PSSG.Minister@gov.bc.ca. Gather your friends and family, and tell them why the film rating and classification system should be abolished.