With a Hollywood movie ban already in place, the Film Censorship Board is taking aim at the current mainstay of Indonesian cinema – sex and ghost-themed films.

Muklis Paimi, head of the board, known as the LSF, appeared to suggest it would consider banning the popular genres for screening.

"We want to use the upcoming Ramadan [Muslim fasting month] as the right moment to suggest that filmmakers stop making low-quality movies with a lot of sex scenes in them," Muklis told Metro TV on Wednesday. "We will not pass any movies exploiting those two things."

He advised filmmakers to make movies with educational values. The LSF, he said, also welcomed any filmmakers wishing to discuss the concepts of their upcoming movies.

"If they want to make such movies, they have to have a dialog with us first. The current practice is, [filmmakers] only come to us once their movies are finished," he said.

He said the current situation posed a dilemma for the LSF. "It's problematic. If we censor the movies too harshly, the movie producers will hold a rally against us, saying that they will suffer material damages if we do not recommend their movies. In the end, it will affect the national film industry," he said.

"But when we are being lenient with our censorship, we will receive protests from the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) and the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI)," he said.