R Rating for ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ Will Be Challenged

Distributors of Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” said Friday that they would appeal the R rating issued to the documentary by the Motion Picture Assn. of America because of its “violent and disturbing images and for language.”

The movie, which is sharply critical of the Bush administration’s role in Iraq, includes sometimes graphic images of Iraqi civilian and military causalities and features a U.S. soldier reciting explicit song lyrics.

“It is sadly very possible that many 15- and 16-year-olds will be asked and recruited to serve in Iraq in the next couple of years,” Moore said in a statement.

“If they are old enough to be recruited and capable of being in combat and risking their lives, they certainly deserve the right to see what is going on in Iraq,” the statement said.

The film is scheduled to be released nationwide June 25, although executives at Lions Gate Films and IFC Films have had discussions about shifting the opening to June 23.