The local independent film Metamorphosis, which tells the story of an intersex character, has just been banned in the Philippines by the censors board due to its graphic sex scenes.
Jose Tiglao, the film’s director, defended his movie yesterday in a Facebook post after the Movie and Television Review and Classifications Board (MTRCB) declared the film “not suitable for public exhibition.”
“The daring scenes aim to humanize the character who is an intersex… These scenes aren’t just about showing lust. These show what they are like as people, their sexual desires, their confusion, and frustrations — things that all of us go through, whether we are intersex or not,” Tiglao said.
“These scenes show that they are humans. That there is nothing wrong with them. That they are normal. They are beautiful as they are.”
Tiglao initially said that he would re-edit the movie to suit censors’ tastes, and he would appear before the MTRCB to appeal for consideration. However, Tiglao took that statement back in another post that appeared today.
“We will stand by our original cut. The most we can do is to cut only TWO SECONDS from one scene as Plan B. That’s it, 2 seconds no less. We hope for [the] MTRCB’s consideration.”
Metamorphosis was scheduled to be screened in the independent film festival Cinema One Originals, which will start on Sunday. Without the MTRCB’s approval, it is unlikely that the movie will be shown in the Philippines.
Read: Take Eight: Cinema One Originals Film Fest opens this week, here’s a quick peek at its roster
The film tells the story of 14-year-old Adam, a character born with both male and female genitalia who identifies as male until his adolescence, when he suddenly experiences menstruation, a source of turmoil for his conservative Christian family. It stars Gold Azeron, Iana Bernardez, Yayo Martinez, Ivan Padilla, and Ricky Davao.
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