Toronto Film School drops title from curriculum after sexually explicit scene between adult and child characters shown to class
The Toronto Film School (TFS) has removed a title from an international film class curriculum following a complaint made after a professor presented a film to students featuring a sexually explicit scene between two fictional characters — one of which was an underage girl.
The film, Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “The Lover” (1992), tells the story of a 15-year-old girl who begins a romantic relationship with a 32-year-old man.
The scene in question, in which the two characters have sex, takes place around 30 minutes in.
The actress who played the 15-year-old girl, Jane March, was 17-years-old when production began and turned 18 while filming was ongoing. It remains unclear whether she was underage while filming the sexually explicit scenes.
Toronto Film School acknowledged the complaint in a statement to CTV News Toronto and confirmed that they removed the film from their curriculum after the complaint was lodged.
“[TFS] continually [guides] faculty and [works] to improve our understanding of how to minimize any potential negative impacts on students when selecting artistic works to examine in class,” Paula Shneer, Vice President of instruction at TFS told CTV News Toronto on Thursday.
“The use of trigger warnings is a topic that we explore with faculty in relation to sensitive/graphic content that may present itself in a film,” she said.
Schneer says that, although TFS “[strives] to ensure artistic works selected have a strong connection to the cinematic themes and techniques explored within the curriculum,” there is room for improvement.
“We welcome feedback from students in order to achieve this. We are committed to working collaboratively across Toronto Film School to refine our processes and guidance around the topic of trigger warnings,” she said.
CTV News Toronto spoke to one student present during the showing, who stated that the scene was “completely inappropriate.”
The student objected to viewing what they identified as statutory rape and said that, initially, their complaints weren’t heard when put forth to the professor.
However, they said that once the complaint was brought to the Board of Directors, action was swiftly taken.
The student said that the professor who showed the film is now “gone.”
A spokesperson for Toronto Film School said the school does not comment on personal employee status.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.