MANILA, Philippines?The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board last week rated ?X? the indie film ?Walang Hanggang Paalam,? directed by Paolo Villaluna and Ellen Ramos.
The movie stars Lovi Poe, Joem Bascon and Jake Roxas. Villaluna has described it as ?a simple love story.? The board said it got an ?X? because of a fellatio scene.
Upon learning the news, Villaluna?s immediate concern, expressed in a text message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, was the expense for a second review. Every MTRCB screening costs P8,250.
At the recent Film Summit organized by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Villaluna said the rate should be lowered for the sake of independent filmmakers.
He said the ?X? caught him by surprise. ?Ellen and I [believe] we have earned enough credibility ... we are not hacks who make run-of-the-mill films,? Villaluna explained. He noted that the board ?had passed prurient films in the past? and wondered if it could ?tell the difference between good and bad movies.?
