DAMON AND HUNTER: Banned in Australia

[TonyComstock]

Nobody is telling people with whom or how they can have sex..

From DNA:

http://www.dnamagazine.com.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=110

"In accordance to the pointlessness of abstinence programs supported by the Bush Administration, a set of guidelines have proved, yet again, how the US government creates policy that is not only exclusive, but dangerous to the nation's gay and lesbian population.

The guidelines state that: "Abstinence curricula must have a clear definition of sexual abstinence which must be consistent with the following: 'Abstinence means voluntarily choosing not to engage in sexual activity until marriage. Sexual activity refers to any type of genital contact or sexual stimulation between two persons including, but not limited to, sexual intercourse.'"

Later, the guidelines explicitly define marriage:

"Throughout the entire curriculum, the term 'marriage' must be defined as 'only a legal union between one man and one woman as a husband and wife,' and the word 'spouse' refers only to 'a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife'."

So we gays and lesbians must abstain from sex until we are married, but we can't marry - the rationale is dizzying."

 

[Andreus]

From DNA:

http://www.dnamagazine.com.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=110

"In accordance to the pointlessness of abstinence programs supported by the Bush Administration, a set of guidelines have proved, yet again, how the US government creates policy that is not only exclusive, but dangerous to the nation's gay and lesbian population.

The guidelines state that: "Abstinence curricula must have a clear definition of sexual abstinence which must be consistent with the following: 'Abstinence means voluntarily choosing not to engage in sexual activity until marriage. Sexual activity refers to any type of genital contact or sexual stimulation between two persons including, but not limited to, sexual intercourse.'"

Later, the guidelines explicitly define marriage:

"Throughout the entire curriculum, the term 'marriage' must be defined as 'only a legal union between one man and one woman as a husband and wife,' and the word 'spouse' refers only to 'a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife'."

So we gays and lesbians must abstain from sex until we are married, but we can't marry - the rationale is dizzying."

Great post

I think people seldom realize that they are doing the work of the right wing extremists when they tear down valid attempts to depict loving sexual expressions between two gay men in a positive way.

I have heard it said that the ultra radicals of both extremes meet in the fringes. Seems to be true.

 

[Soilwork]

From DNA:

http://www.dnamagazine.com.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=110

Well, you've got me there... although I thikn I kinda meant in this particular instance.. not in general on the oppoisite side of the world.

I realize that you're trying to do something different with this movie, and hey... good on ya. But no amount of adding interview footage to a hardcore porn movie makes it anything but a hardcore porn movie.

The whole point of your work is to show couples having sex. An interesting idea, wether it's original or not. But they're still having sex, and any amount of trying to pretend that any of the movies in this series are "Educational" or "Documentaries" seems a bit silly to me.

If the government chooses to fund a film festival, it's their perogative what kinds of movies get shown. Sucks, but that's the way it goes.

I will way, however, that it's nice to see an adult film maker defend his work so venomously.

Althoough I don't consider any of the Fratmen movies to be Documentaries, there are a few that have lots of interview and behind-the-scenes footage and a good deal of "making-of" sections which could be considered "Documentary in nature", and we even have director's and editor's commentary on the Alumni Weekend 3 DVD which lots of people really love to talk about and ask for again all the time.. we'll have one again on Alumni Weekend 5.

The whole idea behind the Pledge Class series is to show people what happens behind the scenes at a Fratmen shoot, and the "Antics" on the Fratpad are to show members what the Fratmen get up to when they're not on cam.

I've decided, obviously, to give your movie the benefit of the doubt. I guess upon further consideration, wether I personally see any "educational" value to DAMON AND HUNTER is irrellevant. If audiences are willing to sit through Andy Warhol's 9 hour movie of a guy sleeping, why can't they sit through your movie if they want to?

Hey, if people can find some entertainment past getting horny.. why not?

(although honestly... woudln't you rather they all be at home wanking off?)

 

[TonyComstock]

Fleshbotted:

http://www.fleshbot.com/sex/gay/damon-and-hunter-banned-in-australia-196787.php

 

[TonyComstock]

In a recent post to the Without A Box forums I said that dealing with the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification was something of a cross between Alice in Wonderland and Kafka's The Castle.

But on Friday, after a nearly two hour long phone call where in we tried to get an explination as to why some sexually explicit films, such as 9 SONGS and NEW SEX POSITIONS, VOLUME 2 receive R-ratings, while DAMON AND HUNTER gets an X-rating, and can't even get an exemption for a one-off screening at a Gay and Lesbian Documentary festival ("The OFLC is aware we're discussing an award-winning documentary film, right?"), things took a turn for the truly bizzare.

Moments after hanging up the phone, we received, by post, a request from the OFLC to retain our film for use in their Classification Training Workshops.

No, I'm not kidding. The OFLC would like permission to lift 3-4 minute segments to be used on training members of the film, television and videogame industry about the classification process.

As you try to wrap your brain around this, please keep in mind that only two days before the OFLC informed us that if an Australian counterpart to The Institute for Gay Men's Health or The San Francisco Sex Information Hotline were to use DAMON AND HUNTER with their clients, or merely kept the DVD on their library shelves, they would be subject to fine and jail time.

The mind reels.

Meanwhile, the <strike>butchered</strike> re-edited version of DAMON AND HUNTER, per the OFLC's instructions has been submitted to the OFLC with the promise that we'll have an answer within 48 hours as to whether or not they will allow queerDOC to screen the censored version. The entire 46 minutes, censored version can be viewed online here:

DAMON AND HUNTER: DOING IT FOR THE OFLC

 

[Crashdown]

Oh please.

DAMON AND HUNTER is a hardcore porn movie.

It's not an "Eductional" film, and it's not a documentary.

It's a hardcore film that features two guys having sex intercut with them gushing about their shared love of Tori Amos.

OMG !!!! You totally saved my day!!! Why didn't I see this post earlier!!!


















<3 Tori.