Largest Brazilian streaming platform rejects 2017 comedy censorship

Rio de Janeiro, 15 Mar Globoplay, the largest Brazilian movie and series streaming platform, announced on Tuesday that it will not comply with President Jair Bolsonaro's government order to remove from its catalog a 2017 comedy that Bolsonarist sectors accuse of defending pedophilia. The platform controlled by Globo, the largest media conglomerate in Brazil, claimed that it considers the determination published on Tuesday by the Ministry of Justice to be an act of censorship and unconstitutional, so it will not comply with it. The company said in a statement that, in addition to an act of censorship, “the decision offends the principle of freedom of expression; it is unconstitutional and therefore cannot be enforced”. The Ministry's decision determines that platforms that offer their customers live access to the Brazilian comedy “How to become the worst student in school”, which include Globoplay and multinationals Netflix, Apple and Amazon, have five days to remove it from their catalogs. The far-right leader's government measure, which justified the veto as a necessary measure to “protect children and adolescents”, imposes a daily fine of 50,000 reais (R$10,000) in case of non-compliance. The late veto was imposed five years after the film's release, in 2017, when the same Ministry of Justice approved its screening for audiences over 14 years of age. The film is inspired by a book by controversial comedian Danilo Gentili and is about two teenagers who find a diary with recommendations on what they need to do to become the worst students in school. In the scene that generated controversy, the alleged author of the book suggests to the protagonists that they would have to masturbate him so that he would not tell his parents that they intend to follow the newspaper's recommendations. The minute dialogue only began to be criticized last week, when “Bolsonarian” groups, mainly linked to evangelical churches, used social media to accuse the film of defending pedophilia. Among some authorities who advocated censorship on their social networks were the Minister of Justice, Anderson Torres, who called the comedy “disgusting”; the Minister of the Secretariat for Women, Family and Human Rights, the Evangelical Pastor, Damares Alves; and the National Secretary of Culture, Mário Frias. While Netflix, the leader in the Brazilian Internet movie and series market, did not comment on the veto, Globoplay said it was aware of “criticism from individuals and families who consider sections of the film inappropriate or insipid”, but that it cannot comply with a decision it considers unconstitutional. The company claimed that it does not understand why the same Ministry that in 2017 classified comedy as appropriate for people over the age of 14 now wants its ban. For lawyers and copyright experts, the Ministry of Justice only has the power to define the age of the audience who can see the film, but cannot prohibit its showing. Danilo Gentili, whose work inspired the comedy and who acts in the film, stated that there are villains in every film, but that they are fictional characters that no one is obliged to follow or obey. “Generally, villains are bad and do horrible things. The villain can be a Nazi, a racist, a pedophile, an aggressor and can kill or torture people... But it's all a lie,” he said. BOSS cm/ed/lll