‘Dreamboi’ gets R-18 rating on third review
Metro Manila, Philippines - “Dreamboi,” a film tackling trans desire, obtained approval for public screening this week after a third review of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) gave it an R-18 rating.
Actor Tony Labrusca, one of the main cast members of “Dreamboi” made the announcement on Tuesday on his Instagram account, along with a selfie with film director Rodina Singh.
MTRCB initially gave an X rating for “Dreamboi” on Oct. 16, which meant it cannot be shown in public as a pornographic film. Singh said “Dreamboi” and other entries of the inaugural CineSilip Film Festival made their re-classification bids on Monday — all got the green light except for her movie.
The trans film maker went to the MTRCB on Tuesday to appeal for a third review.
“We owe this to everyone who echoed their sentiments, refused censorship, and believed in the politics of our film,” read the post on the film’s official pages.
“Oo masakit na kailangan naming mag-adjust, pero isa ang sigurado tayo — hindi pwedeng hindi sinehan,” it added.
[Translation: Yes, it hurts that we need to adjust, but we were sure that the film must be screened in cinemas.]
“Dreamboi” is an erotic psychological drama about Diwa, a trans woman who has turned to audio porn in an attempt to revive her fading sex drive.
It stars Labrusca, Ej Jallorina, Jenn Rosa, and Migs Almendras.
‘Not porn’
After getting the initial X rating, Singh defended her piece as “not pornography.”
She said the MTCRB noted that the movie offers “important representation and commentary” but the “prolonged sexually explicit scenes” made it inappropriate for public viewing.
“[I]t is a story about being seen, about the pain and beauty of longing when the world tells you you’re not allowed to want. Because every time a story like this is silenced, another trans woman disappears,” she said on Oct. 16.
“I truly appreciate their kind words describing Dreamboi as a ‘mature, artistically driven exploration of sexuality, identity, and desire’… I only ask that they reconsider their decision and allow us to share this story with an audience, even in a limited screening,” she said.
Known filmmaker Antoinette Jadaone also said she saw the “scene in question” and said “Dreamboi” was not pornography.
“[I]t’s a moving, messy, beautiful exploration of trans desire. It’s about longing, intimacy, and what it means to be seen,” she wrote.
“I hope the MTRCB will see what we see: that visibility is not obscene, and that Philippine cinema is stronger when it makes space for stories like Rodina’s,” Jadaone said ahead of MTRCB’s third review.
CineSilip Film Festival, hosted by Vivamax, will feature seven films focused on eroticism but showcased “new voices, bold visions, and fearless stories.”
Other entries are “Babae Sa Butas,” “Haplos Sa Hangin,” “Maria Azama: Da Best P*Rnstar,” “Salikmat,” “Pagdaong,” and “Ang Lihim Ni Maria Makinang.”
The festival will run from Oct. 22 to 28 in Ayala Mall cinemas.
