Sony Pictures Stirs Criticism Over Self-Censoring “Blade Runner 2049”

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Turkey's Film Critics Association (SİYAD) has issued an open letter to Sony Pictures for supplying a self-censored version of Blade Runner 2049 to Turkey and said "Self-Censoring Blade Runner 2049 for the Turkish Market is an Insult to moviegoers in Turkey".

The association in the open letter criticized the censored version as an attempt to legitimize censorship on the ground that it was done "to be respectful of local culture."

SİYAD's open letter reads as follows:

Open Letter to Sony Pictures from Turkey's Film Critics Association:

Self-Censoring Blade Runner 2049 for the Turkish Market is an Insult to Movie-goers in Turkey

We are outraged by your supplying a self-censored version of Blade Runner 2049 to Turkey and deeply offended by the attempt to legitimize it on the ground that it was done "to be respectful of local culture." Seeing oneself as an authority to decide what is appropriate and what is not appropriate for a "local culture" and imposing your view on that "culture" is one of the greatest shows of disrespect for that "culture". It is an insult to the people of Turkey and specificaly to movie-goers in Turkey to assume them to be disturbed by any sign of nudity whatsoever.

While it is a fact that Turkey suffers from film censorship of its own (and we are opposed to national censorship as well), your position has been even more ludicrously narrow than the national film censorship we had to endure so far.

We demand an immediate apology and a rectification of the situation as soon as possible, as well as a non-repetition of similar situations, which one suspects may have happened in the past as well, in the future.

Regards

The Executive Board of SİYAD (Association of Film Critics of Turkey) *

* SİYAD is a member of FIPRESCI, International Federation of Film Critics

(YY/DG)