NEWSFLASH

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STEAMY "CURACHA" PASSED UNCUT BY MALACANANG

Manila, May 26, 1998 - Expect long lines of movie goers Wednesday, when "Curacha," one of the sexiest, most controversial movies in recent times finally gets shown in movie theaters.

The Rosanna Roces steamy film about "toro at torera" (live sex performers) was approved for public showing by the Malacanang Appeals Committee without cuts, but with a rating of "R-18, for adults only."

The movie was reviewed twice and given an "X rating" by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, meaning it is unfit for public viewing. The censors wanted the graphic sex scenes and those showing Rosanna's total frontal nudity cut. Regal Entertainment, producer of the film, elevated their case to the Malacanang appeals body.

"This is a victory for everyone in the local film industry who is committed to the cause of uplifting the quality of Philippine movies. I hope this establishes the shape of things to come as we prepare ourselves under a new administration about to take over Malacanang," said Chito Rono, director of the movie.

"This gives us writers and also the directors hope that we can still make the movies we want to do and allow the audience to widen their experiences through these films," was the reaction of the film's scriptwriter Ricky Lee.

"Curacha" documents a night in the life of Corazon, a "torera" who performs in live sex acts for a living. It is the same night that the country is going through a military attempt to take over the government.

Lily Monteverde said the decision "is a victory for film producers whose only wish is for the movie industry to grow."