Skip to content
What's After the Movie?

Jump to
What's After the Movie?
Industry Studios, festivals, awards, release strategies and box office vocabulary.

OFLC: Meaning & Definition in Film

The OFLC (Office of Film and Literature Classification) was the former name of the government body responsible for film classification in Australia.

  • 2 sections
  • 1 min read
  • Updated
On this page 2 sections

Australia’s Classification History

The Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) was the name of the Australian federal government body responsible for classifying films, video games, and publications from its establishment in 1970 until its name was changed in 2006. While the acronym OFLC is still sometimes used colloquially, the body is now officially known simply as the Classification Board. It operates as part of a co-regulatory scheme with the Australian states and territories, with its decisions administered by the Attorney-General’s Department.

The Australian Classification System

The board’s primary function is to provide consumers with information about the content of media to allow them to make informed choices. It does not have a direct censorship role, but its ‘Refused Classification’ (RC) rating effectively bans a product from being sold, hired, or legally exhibited in Australia. The main ratings are:

  • G (General): Suitable for everyone.
  • PG (Parental Guidance): Recommended for children under 15 with parental guidance.
  • M (Mature): Recommended for mature audiences (15 years and over).
  • MA 15+ (Mature Accompanied): Legally restricted to persons 15 years and over. A person under 15 must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.
  • R 18+ (Restricted): Legally restricted to adults (18 years and over).
  • X 18+ (Restricted): Legally restricted to adults; only applies to sexually explicit content and is only available for home video in certain territories.

It is important to note that New Zealand also had an agency named the OFLC, which is a separate entity with its own distinct rating system.

See the vocabulary at work in real films

Look up any movie for its ratings, cast and crew, box office run and where to watch, or read the full plot with the ending explained.

Browse movies
Industry

More Film Industry & Awards Terms

Entries filed on the same shelf as OFLC, each with the one-line answer first. They are the words that usually come up in the same conversation.

All 835 terms

  • IMDb Pro

    IMDb Pro is the premium subscription service of the Internet Movie Database, designed as a professional resource for people working in the entertainment industry.

  • Co-Producer

    A producer who partners with others to share creative and financial responsibilities.

  • Paratext

    A paratext is any material that surrounds a film's primary text, such as trailers, posters, and interviews, which shapes the audience's interpretation and expectations.

  • One Sheet

    A single-page promotional poster that conveys a film’s key selling points through imagery and text.

  • Co-Production Agreement

    A co-production agreement is a legal contract between two or more production companies to collaborate on the financing, development, and production of a film.

  • Critics’ Week

    Critics' Week is an independent section at major film festivals, like Cannes, programmed by film critics to discover and highlight new filmmaking talent.