A friend recently told me about clearing up at the Prince Charles cinema after a packed screening of Salo, where she found the leftovers of one man's excitement in a popcorn box. It was a startling tale as Passolini's retelling of the Marquis de Sade's 100 Years of Sodom was, until the late 90s banned, and still is in most of the world. As the UK government moves to introduce legislation b…

  Is film a fair reflection of the society that creates it, if as fiction, not quite a faithful one? Or does film project an image of its own? And what of other cultures? Does Bollywood reflect india, or does it project India? Vir Sanghvi thinks he has found the answer.....

All societies have their individual social customs; things seen as fine and normal in once country may well be taboo in another. Sex portrayed on screen may be tolerated in some countries but is likely to cause social and moral outrage in others - and we may not be talking placard protests here. In some societies outrage takes more dynamic shape than waving banners of protest. Offend…

Does the film and television industry exclude women over the age of 40? That was the question addressed at an event at BAFTA during October, writes Equity Vice-President Jean Rogers. The event was initially the dream-child of Women in Film and Television, but I was delighted to get Equity involved in the venture by co-producing the evening. A distinguished gathering of performers, TV and fi…

Alas, Scottish Screen is certainly not going to be around much longer. The Scottish Executive, who in their wisdom decided Scotland needed a one-stop film agency with one-size fits all proportions, has at last realised that it doesn't.