Visions of Ecstasy is a 1989 British short film directed by Nigel Wingrove and starring Louise Downie, Elisha Scott, and Dan Fox.

As cutting the scenes would remove approximately half of the film's content, the BBFC decided to refuse certification altogether.

The board felt that any release of the film could be liable for prosecution under the common law offence of blasphemous libel,[1] making the refusal a form of prior restraint.

It emerged in 2018 that while the case was pending the Prime Minister, John Major, had considered attempting to derogate from the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights relating to free expression to preempt or override a decision by the court to allow the film's release.

[2] In the end the court found that the UK's blasphemy laws were consistent with the Convention, effectively upholding the BBFC's decision to refuse certification.