Relative to the Hays Code, or even the MPAA, we're in an era where organised concentrated media censorship is declining. If a film wouldn't be made a major studio it can happen elsewhere, if a film can't get a certificate, there's a chance you'll still get to see it somewhere. Also you can get films that have been banned or released with extensive edits, illegally or otherwise. As we've had more technology to copy and distribute media it's simply become harder and harder to restrict it, which is all that censorship is.

A few years ago I went to a festival where a film depicted the fictionalised murder of 3 real life police officers, it showed their crimes, then them getting off without consequence and then dramatisations of them being killed. That film was never going to show at Cannes, it was fantastic, but the subject matter was incompatible with their brand and the brands that pay for the festival. You can't play film with such a direct call to action at SXSW, they want to exist next year.

The sponsors associated with large film festivals will pull out if programmers get too controversial. It really sucks, but this is always what film festivals have been like. The answer is to go to more interesting smaller festivals, as when it comes down to it, none of this stuff is going on Netflix.

There's like a larger conversation to be had about how scared brands are of being abused or called out on twitter, but the reality of it is that while we have social media, people will continue to post stupid takes on it. And sometimes when someone posts 'TIL: Coke-a-cola supported this film where a dog is killed' you never get the context and coke never supports that festival again.