China bans censored brothel film

Magrath

China bans censored brothel film

Authorities in China have banned a film set in a Beijing massage parlour that had already been heavily censored for its sexually explicit content.
  K" }+ `3 t% u/ `$ I. y4 `, TLost In Beijing was released in Chinese cinemas on 30 November after scenes showing dirty streets, prostitutes and gambling were removed from the movie.

+ y6 b2 i0 K. j! D# v+ @According to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, however, the film still violated regulations.
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9 J4 V& I9 d( N3 i. mIts producers have been banned from making films in China for two years.

The drama - which involves the rape of a masseuse and her subsequent pregnancy - was screened at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2007.
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It went on to win a jury prize at the Bangkok International Film Festival last July.
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'Inappropriate'
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According to the Chinese authorities, the film broke regulations by using "unhealthy and inappropriate promotional materials" in its marketing.

8 b% `8 q3 R% @4 l# ?+ XIts producer, Fang Li, has attributed the decision to the widespread availability of uncut, pirated versions of the movie he did not sanction.
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"Why would I give the movie to pirates and hurt my own movie?" he told the Associated Press.

" h7 b+ q+ O! w"We are the victims of piracy. We are the biggest victims."
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) r- s& w- y. w. `+ yPreviously, Fang said he had edited the film to remove explicit sex scenes and a side character - a fired foot masseuse who becomes a prostitute.
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3 d2 B+ u& ^- Z3 W" P7 h; {Scenes set in Tiananmen Square, the site of pro-democracy protests that prompted a bloody military crackdown in 1989, were also removed.

/ q# H" J" ]+ i2 M0 c2 \/ iThe censored version of the movie had already been released legitimately on DVD.