Classification Step By Step

• All movie companies in Canada send their films and film advertisements to Alberta Film Classification before they show them to the public.
• Each film is then viewed by a minimum of three full-time, professional film classifiers
• During the film screening, each classifier makes an individual written assessment of the film's content.
• Classifiers note the frequency, visual explicitness, intensity, and context of any potentially controversial material.
• The overall theme and intent of the film is the most important factor in arriving at the appropriate classification; each film is considered individually and as a whole, rather than as isolated portions taken out of context.
• The written assessments are used as a basis for discussion and the selection of an appropriate age category based on current community standards.
• Advisories are added as part of the classification when one or more elements of a film are considered to be more intense than might be expected in that rating category.
• If consensus is lacking on any aspect of this process, the majority decision prevails.

Alberta Film Classification accommodates a variety of philosophies, tastes, and lifestyles through the flexibility of rating and advisory information. Parents, guardians, and film patrons are expected to exercise individual responsibility and discretion in the selection of movie entertainment for themselves and especially for their children.

Community Standards

Alberta Film Classification maintains extensive records on all aspects of film production, distribution, and classification-related issues, as well as all information pertaining to previous Alberta decisions.

Film classifiers have access to the monthly reports of other classification agencies in Canada and around the world. We are made aware of public opinions about previous decisions through letters, telephone calls, workshops, and web site feedback.

Additional contacts with members of the Alberta film community, film distributors, and private interest groups, and monitoring discussions relating to censorship in the media ensure that film classification decisions reflect the changing nature of the Alberta community.