Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography
Date: 1981
Region: North America
Subject: Explicit Sexuality
Medium: Film Video
Artist: Bonnie Sherr Klein
Confronting Bodies: Ontario Film Censorship Board
Date of Action: 1981
Location: Ontario, Canada
Description of Artwork: Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography is a documentary focusing on the pornography industry as an opposing force to feminism. It criticizes the industry's use of violent images to dehumanize women and promote violence against them.
The Incident: Although the film saw permission for a release in the rest of Canada, the Ontario Film Censorship Board determined that it was unfit for a commercial release in their city. The board admitted that it was an important study, but were worried that images of fellatio and masturbation in the movie may be abused (They were not worried about the violent images).
Results of Incident: The Ontario Film Censorship Board was defeated in a lawsuit filed by the National Film Board on behalf of Not a Love Story and several other banned films.
Source: Censorship: A World Encyclopedia. Ed. Derek Jones. Chicago; London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001.
