Film director Quark Henares details challenges in appealing to MTRCB following the X rating for 'Marupok AF'
Filipino filmmaker Quark Henares expressed his frustrations to the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) for giving his film, Marupok AF an X rating due to its title. He noted the “Hollywood double standards” and possible “discriminatory” reasons as the film stars a trans actress.
Henares took to X on Wednesday, June 26 to detail how his film got an X rating.
According to the director, the MTRCB first asked his team to revise all of their marketing materials to remove the “AF” in the film, which is an acronym for “As f**k.”
“This all started when the MTRCB asked us to revise all our marketing materials (poster and trailer) to remove "AF", which, of course, is inherently inane. What if AF meant ‘Always, Forever?’ But fine. Iwas gulo. I present to you, ‘Marupok A+’” he wrote.
Henares furthered how “shocked” they were upon receiving the X rating from review boards, especially since it “didn’t warrant an X.”
“The reason? Because the title appears as ‘Marupok AF’ in the film,” he said.
“This is where we start wading into f***ked up territory (don't x this x, MTRCB!)” he added.
OK we now have an R-18 rating. I think the coast is clear to talk about how we got an X rating first. https://t.co/htEWF0Pj4t
— Quark Henares (@quarkhenares) June 26, 2024
Double standards, possible discriminatory reasons
Henares also criticized the double standards when it comes it Hollywood films, citing Deadpool as an example which had an R-16 rating despite the excessive profanity.
“Why should that get an R-16 while we get an X for not even showing the word ‘F**k’ in the opening title?” he lamented, adding that it was “absurd” that they were allowed to show the full title, “Marupok as F**k” in the end credits.
Henares also pointed out the possible discriminatory reasons for the rating especially since it involves a trans actress in the non-nude love scene, saying that the issue on the title might have been only a “misdirection.”
“Of course, there could be a darker, more discriminatory reason for this. There is a love scene involving a trans actress in the film, very tastefully directed by [Rod Singh], with no nudity whatsoever. And maybe the use of ‘Marupok AF’ in the opening titles is just misdirection,” he wrote on X.
He also compared the situation to the Filipino raunchy comedy film, I Am Not Big Bird starring Enrique Gil.
“Because if we were to compare apples to apples, I Am Not Big Bird had many more non-nude sex scenes, plus BDSM, masturbation, girl getting slapped by pixelated d**k,” he noted. “Why couldn't [we have] been treated the same way?”
‘Transparency and fairness’
In the appeal he sent to the review board to reconsider the X rating, he stressed how costly and time-consuming it was to do revisions based solely on the opening title, noting that it is a loss for the producers especially since Filipino films have not been doing well this year.
“Replacing Marupok AF [with] Marupok A+ involves hiring a graphic artist and an editor, plus putting it through DCP processing again. That's 100K for the most insane reason ever,” he said, adding, “This in a year when not a single Pinoy movie has made a profit and producers are suffering.”
He maintained that the film does “not deserve an R18” rating.
“I really just wish there was more transparency and fairness to how the MTRCB rates films,” Henares stressed.
“We don't even deserve an R18. Marupok AF is the only film I've worked on that has gotten an X. And I directed Gamitan and wrote Sex Drive and Hibla,” he added.
The filmmaker also clarified that he is not “shading” the MTRCB reviewers, but the agency’s rulebook.
It was indicated in the MTRCB official review that it earned an R rating due to the “frequency of swearing and some extended sex scenes.”
Meanwhile, it also noted that it is “a very good movie to be watched by moviegoers. Very timely and discusses current social issues relevant to mature audience.”
Marupok AF follows the story of a “hopeless romantic” transgender Janzen Torres (EJ Jallorina)—fresh from a breakup with her foreigner boyfriend—who takes another chance at love when she finds a match on the dating app Sinder. It stars EJ Jallorina, Maris Racal, and Royce Cabrera. It is coming to Ayala Malls Cinemas on July 10.
PhilSTAR L!fe has reached out to the MTRCB but has yet to receive a response.
