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A research project about the films the world decided you shouldn’t see — and the people who got to decide.

What this is

Objectionable is an independent, ongoing research podcast. Each file takes a single film that was banned, cut, refused, withdrawn or suppressed somewhere in the world, and works out exactly what happened: who objected, by what authority, on what grounds, and what the film’s life has been since.

It started as a school project. It is built to keep going past that — a slowly growing archive rather than a fixed assignment, organised so the cases can be compared across countries and decades.

Why it matters

Censorship is usually told as a string of shocking anecdotes. The more interesting story is structural: every state draws a line somewhere, and where it draws that line — and how it enforces it — says something precise about what it fears.

Treating each ban as a documented case, with primary sources rather than rumour, is the whole point. The goal is an argument you can check, not a list you take on faith.

How each file is built

The same five steps, every episode
Step 01 — Locate

Find the ruling

Identify the actual decision and its source: an order, a board certificate, a studio memo, a penalty. No document, no claim.

Step 02 — Classify

Name the instrument

Sort it: banned, refused, cut, withdrawn or suppressed. The label has to be defensible.

Step 03 — Context

Reconstruct the moment

What was happening when the line was drawn? The politics around the film is half the case.

Step 04 — Argue

Say what it means

Move from “this happened” to “this is what it tells us.” One clear claim per file.

Step 05 — Cite

Show the sources

Every episode ships with a reference list in Keystone’s GB/T 7714 format, so the argument can be checked.

Who’s behind it

[name] — a secondary-school student researching politics, history and cinema. [One or two honest lines: what drew you to this, what you’re trying to learn. Replace this.]

Follow & get in touch

Corrections welcome — if a file gets something wrong, write in and it gets fixed, on the record.