China bans censored brothel film

Magrath

China bans censored brothel film

" ^0 _9 R, m/ D2 s2 [. Q! D" P: aAuthorities in China have banned a film set in a Beijing massage parlour that had already been heavily censored for its sexually explicit content.
6 o, J, }3 q6 R  ~$ ?; H" pLost In Beijing was released in Chinese cinemas on 30 November after scenes showing dirty streets, prostitutes and gambling were removed from the movie.
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! ^# k4 F; o6 KAccording to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, however, the film still violated regulations.

6 w9 k9 X8 V6 d* o3 j) K) F+ N, CIts producers have been banned from making films in China for two years.
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! t6 N% B  C/ u& W6 u$ eThe drama - which involves the rape of a masseuse and her subsequent pregnancy - was screened at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2007.

It went on to win a jury prize at the Bangkok International Film Festival last July.

'Inappropriate'
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1 N5 a/ I- `- E" v% A  aAccording to the Chinese authorities, the film broke regulations by using "unhealthy and inappropriate promotional materials" in its marketing.
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8 d% A" z% b4 n+ c3 K. T' m- x0 D/ FIts 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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: Q7 l8 h' c+ y% O. [) S"Why would I give the movie to pirates and hurt my own movie?" he told the Associated Press.
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* J0 z" g) L4 n  I3 \9 t+ e" r"We are the victims of piracy. We are the biggest victims."

9 D& C; V, i6 v- I) dPreviously, 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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Scenes set in Tiananmen Square, the site of pro-democracy protests that prompted a bloody military crackdown in 1989, were also removed.

The censored version of the movie had already been released legitimately on DVD.