it can be sold. The Board of Review consists of ten members and nine other persons who are not public officers. Members act as "censors" and review submitted films for classification. Film distributors or any person who disagrees with the censors may request the Board to review that decision. Under the Film Censorship Ordinance, the Film Censorship Authority may appoint persons to be film censorship advisers as needed, usually for a one-year term. Once every two weeks, panel members are invited to preview films along with the censors and provide their views on film classification. The panel of advisers currently has 300 members, including teachers, social workers, professionals, housewives, and college students. Ratings system Of the four levels, Levels I, IIa, and IIb are advisory ratings only, and carry no legal effect. Only Level III forbids a certain portion of the population from watching the film. Ticket sellers in movie theatres have a legal right to check the identity of a person who wishes to watch a Level III film to ensure legal compliance. Surveys Every two years, TELA commissions an independent research company to conduct a large-scale survey to collect the public's views on the film classification system and the film classification standards. In 2000, a survey was conducted on 617 members of the public, aged 13 to 59 years old. In addition, supplementary surveys were conducted on 108 members on the panel of advisers and 472 moviegoers. The survey findings were that almost all respondents were aware the classification system was in place, and 59% could identify the current system, as well as its symbols and their meanings. Findings of a survey conducted from 2010 to 2011 revealed that there is general community support of the existing film classification system and its standards. Bibliography See also List of Hong Kong Category III films References External links Comparison of Film Ratings between Hong Kong and Other Countries (HK Government) (pdf) Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration Film Search Cinema of Hong Kong Motion picture rating systems 1988 establishments in Hong Kong