$4.5m RAPE FILM

lol, that was the title of an article I read in the Herald Sun on Sunday. I really can't understand how they justify giving the film The Book of Revelation a $4.5mil grant (a large amount of Australian films are funded by the government) because seriously... who wants to see this movie? Great cast, but honestly. Plus, Ana Kokkinos' last film Head On wasn't exactly, well, good. The article is here, or just read it below because I think the article gets deleted in a few days?

$4.5m rape film
Kelvin Healey
09jul06

MORE than $4.5 million of taxpayers' money has been sunk into a controversial movie that features a man being gang-raped by masked women.

Federal and state governments contributed to the confronting psycho-sexual drama, The Book of Revelation, but say they had no influence over its content.
The movie, starring Tom Long, Deborah Mailman, Colin Friels and Greta Scacchi, is about a male dancer who is drugged, abducted for 12 days and abused by a gang of women.

It includes highly explicit sex scenes depicting Long's character Daniel being repeatedly abused.

Simulated sex includes his graphic rape by a woman and being forced to masturbate under the threat of torture.

Censors are yet to see the film, which will be released in September. It is expected to receive a Restricted (R) classification.

It was made with more than $3.7 million from the Federal Government-funded Film Finance Corporation -- more than twice what it gave to critically acclaimed "Lantana", Film Victoria ($350,000 and a $150,000 loan), the NSW Film and Television Office ($400,000) and the Australia Film Commission ($5000).

The film's director, Ana Kokkinos, said it deserved public funding because it had social and cultural relevance.

"There is a lot of controversy that is going to be generated . . . (but) I think it is a film people should experience for themselves," she said.

Film Finance Corporation chief executive Brian Rosen said the film's funding was approved because it had "a very creative and highly respected team of filmmakers attached".

RMIT film expert and Hollywood-trained scriptwriter Dr Lisa Dethridge said the film was unlikely to appeal to mainstream audiences because the characters and their motivations were not credible enough.

Way to go Ana! Sounds like you've made a wonderful movie for the whole family!