Brazil: Cinema, Sex and the Generals (documentary)
Date: 1985
Region: Europe
Subject: Explicit Sexuality
Medium: Television
Artist: Large Door productions and Simon Hartog (director)
Confronting Bodies: The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and Channel 4 administrators
Dates of Action: June and September 1985
Location: England
Description of Artwork: Brazil: Cinema, Sex and the Generals is a documentary that examines Brazilian filmmakers who used the pornographic genre to escape censorship of their socially critical films during dictatorial rule in Brazil.
The Incident: Channel 4 was scheduled to air Brazil: Cinema... in June 1985, however, IBA officials, in agreement with Channel 4's management, banned the program only five ours prior to its viewing. The IBA claimed that it had jurisdiction from the Broadcasting Act of 1981 that allows them to block media that may be offensive. In August 1985, Channel 4 agreed to cut three scenes from the film. In September the IBA banned the film again because the program's producers added commentary stating that the IBA censored those segments of the film.
Results of Incident: The program never aired on Channel 4.
Source: Censorship, A World Encyclopedia, ed. D. Jones