Spurred on perhaps by "Blue Valentine"s' successful ratings appeal, Millennium Entertainment announced Thursday that it will challenge the "R" rating given to its upcoming drama "Trust."
The film’s executive producer Avi Lerner will appear before the ratings Appeals Board on December 22, 2010 to pursue a PG-13 rating.
Directed by David Schwimmer (Friends), "Trust" centers on a 14-year-old girl’s encounter with a cyber predator and stars Clive Owen, Catherine Keener and Viola Davis.
The producers say they are pursuing the lesser rating so it can be screened for teens, in order to raise awareness about the dangers of online predators.
"While we respect the MPAA’s rating system, we must appeal the ‘R’ rating given to 'Trust.' This film exposes the true threats posed by cyber predators. It sends a clear message to teens and parents; to be aware of the real dangers of cyber space,” Lerner said in a statement. “Teens must be allowed to see 'Trust.' They need to know the truth.”
Indeed that cause was part of the reason Schwimmer got involved in the project.
"That’s why I did it. I want to invite more of a conversation between parents and their kids," Schwimmer told TheWrap. "There are a lot of issues that need public pressure and attention, there are still thousands of registered sex offenders on MySpace and Facebook. There are thousands of unopened rape kits sitting in freezers in police deparments and labs around the country. There are so many issues around this that I just want to do my part to raise more awareness, and public pressure."
According to the Motion Picture Association of America, 'Trust' received an R rating because of a difficult scene portraying the assault of a teenage girl, language, sexual content and some violence.
'Trust' will be released theatrically on April 1, 2011.
