Call for ban on 'child rape' film

Twelve-year-old actress Dakota Fanning is at the centre of a row over a new movie that depicts her being raped by a teenage boy.

US religious groups are calling for a boycott, saying Fanning's appearance in the film is tantamount to child abuse.

The protests came as Hounddog received its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah on Monday.

Director Deborah Kampmeier has defended the film, saying issues like child rape need to be discussed in public.

"This issue is so silenced in our society," she said. "There are a lot of women who are alone with this story."

Legal challenge

The criticism began before the film was screened, with the New York-based Catholic League calling for a federal probe into whether child pornography laws were violated during filming.

Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, also believes the rape scene falls foul of the law.

"Even if they're not actually performing the explicit act, we are dealing with a legal issue here," he said.

"Children at 12 do not have the ability to make the types of decisions that we're talking about here.

"If we're offended by some comedian's racial slur, why aren't we offended by somebody taking advantage of a 12-year-old child?"

Fanning herself played down the controversy following the film's premiere.

"It's not a rape movie," she said. "That's not even the point of the film."

Hounddog tells the story of a young girl who is raised by an abusive father and alcoholic grandmother in the American south.

Taking solace in blues music, she sets out to buy tickets for an Elvis Presley concert but is accosted by a teenage boy.

During the rape scene, only Fanning's face, neck, shoulders, hand and foot appear on screen.

Much of the scene takes place in darkness, punctuated only by the sound of Fanning's screams.

The actress said she and writer-director Kampmeier talked about the story for months before the film was shot.

"It's not really happening," she said of the controversial scene. "It's a movie, and it's called acting. I'm not going through anything.

"And for me, when it's done it's done. I don't even think about it any more."

Fanning has had major roles in films including 2001's I Am Sam with Sean Penn and War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise in 2005.

BBC