Why This Film Is Not Yet Rated

His documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated, which premiered last Wednesday at the Sundance Film Festival, is a harsh indictment of the ratings system overseen by the Motion Picture Association of America, the trade group for Hollywood's top studios.

Dick calls the ratings process a form of censorship carried out by unqualified film judges who operate in secrecy, their procedures favouring big studio fare over movies from independent and overseas filmmakers.

This Film Is Not Yet Rated examines the history of the ratings system, set up in the 1960s by MPAA boss Jack Valenti, who retired as head of the group in 2004 and gave up control of the ratings system last fall.

The documentary chronicles Dick's efforts to pin down ratings-board members, whose identities are kept private, and find out how they operate. He hires a private investigator who's fiercely determined to flush out the people behind the ratings system.

Dick includes interviews with filmmakers and actors involved with movies that received NC-17 ratings -- which prohibit anyone younger than 17 from seeing the films. The lineup includes John Waters (Pink Flamingos, A Dirty Shame), South Park co-creator Matt Stone (Team America: World Police) and Kimberly Pierce (Boys Don't Cry).

This Film Is Not Yet Rated received an NC-17 rating itself because it includes explicit footage from many films that received an NC-17 for graphic content.