‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’ To Be Released With NC-17 Rating In U.S
Sundance Selects will release “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” the lesbian love story which won the Cannes Palme D’Or, with the MPAA rating of NC-17 in the United States rather than trim the film or release it unrated.
The distributor, which acquired the rights at Cannes, said it would release “Blue” in U.S. theaters on Oct. 25 following its New York Film Festival screening.
SEE ALSO: CANNES: ‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’ Wins Palme d’ Or
“Blue,” starring Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos, was produced by Alcatraz Films, Quat’Sous Films and Wild Bunch. The film is rated NC-17 for “explicit sexual content.”
Abdellatif Kechiche directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Ghalya Lacroix.
Jonathan Sehring, president of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said in a statement, “This is a landmark film with two of the best female performances we have ever see on screen. The film is first and foremost a film about love, coming of age and passion. We refuse to compromise Kechiche’s vision by trimming the film for an R rating, and we have every confidence that ‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’ will play in theaters around the country regardless.”
Sehring said an NC-17 rating — which means that no one 17 or under will be admitted — no longer holds the stigma it once did. “We believe this film will leave a lasting imprint as the ‘Last Tango in Paris’ for a whole new generation,” he added.
Justin Chang gave the film a positive review for Variety at Cannes: “It’s a simple, even predictable story, yet textured so exquisitely and acted so forcefully as to feel almost revelatory.”
SEE ALSO: Justin Chang’s review of ‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’
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