Iza Calzado’s Award-Winning Bliss Gets R-18 Rating

The Iza Calzado starrer Bliss has received a new rating from the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, ahead of its May 10 release. From a previous X rating, the movie has been given an R-18 rating after a second review.

According to reports on PEP.ph and GMA News, film director Jerrold Tarog and its lead star Iza Calzado shared the good news on social media.

Re-Rating Means More People Can Get To See Bliss

The movie originally received an X rating, which meant that it was not suited for public exhibition. Click here to read the full story. When MTRCB gave the rating last March 30, Tarog and his team started working on an appeal to the decision. He shared the sad decision via his Facebook page, while saying that he and his team respect it.

Lead actress Iza Calzado reacted to the decision with sadness. The rating was given because of its “explicit nudity scenes,” which according to the guidelines means it cannot be shown to the public.

When the board made a second review of the film, they came out with a more favorable rating. Tarog tweeted the news, saying “BLISS has been reclassified R-18.” To this, he called on the public to go out and watch the film on May 10.

R-18 and a Possible R-16 Version

According to a PEP.ph report, Iza’s manager Noel Ferrer revealed that aside from the R-18 uncut version of the film, film director Tarog may be preparing an R-16 version, with cuts. This will mean that it can be watched by a younger audience. This new version however will be subject to another review by the board.

The new R-18 rating states that the film and its “realistic depiction of aberrant sexual activity, sexually-oriented dialogue, profanity, and gore” can be viewed by adults or those 18 years old and above.

More people can now watch the movie. The film is about a struggling actress Jane, who survives an accident. Later on, she suffers from a mental illness, causing her to hear voices and sounds and fear for her life. Calzado won the prestigious Yakushi Pearl Award for her portrayal of Jane.

THIS JUST IN. The new MTRCB panel composed of Direk Joey Romero, Bibeth Orteza, Gladys Reyes, Consoliza Laguardia and Atty. Ogie Jaro reversed the earlier classification and gave the film BLISS a unanimous R-18 WITHOUT CUTS. Thank you Direk Bibeth for giving it an R-16. So, mark your calendars – May 10, we will already experience BLISS. ??? ALSO, Direk Jerrold may be preparing an R-16 version of the film to accommodate more audiences and more theaters. (So, we may have 2 versions of this very controversial film, depending on your age-level). We’ll keep you posted! SEE YOU IN THE THEATERS. #Bliss #R18 #InCinemasMay10

A post shared by Noel Ferrer (@iamnoelferrer) on Apr 4, 2017 at 8:30pm PDT