A FILM featuring real sex scenes has had its X-rating relaxed so it can be shown in Australia.

Michael Winterbottom's controversial 9 Songs has been revised to an R18+ after a 3-to-2 vote by the five-member panel of the Office of Film and Literature Classification's Review Board.

They voted the film could be screened with the consumer warning "actual sex, high-level sex scenes".

Accent Film Entertainment contested the original X-rating that would have banned it from screening in Australia. It plans to release the film this year.

The Classification Review Board's decision noted "while some scenes may offend some sections of the adult community, the actual sex scenes are justified by the context, narrative, tone and artistic merit".

The film follows a young London couple's relationship and their love for rock concerts. It has garnered tepid reviews internationally with its sex scenes reportedly filmed in a matter-of-fact, even boring manner.