China bans censored brothel film

Magrath

China bans censored brothel film

$ N6 o# O9 Z' ?) g  V4 YAuthorities in China have banned a film set in a Beijing massage parlour that had already been heavily censored for its sexually explicit content.
; {. D+ z: X: `8 w. C( E1 O" V8 e0 qLost In Beijing was released in Chinese cinemas on 30 November after scenes showing dirty streets, prostitutes and gambling were removed from the movie.

* `6 g' n2 L5 L- ^& vAccording to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, however, the film still violated regulations.

  m+ @3 h3 z8 Q( i' W: `Its 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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3 ]0 X1 q' H% ^/ Q* x& NAccording to the Chinese authorities, the film broke regulations by using "unhealthy and inappropriate promotional materials" in its marketing.
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$ L5 P' I1 D6 Z- }Its 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.

: M$ H6 }; E/ A1 ^0 a"We are the victims of piracy. We are the biggest victims."
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) Y5 \( E) z- Z/ T5 u3 L5 j0 UPreviously, Fang said he had edited the film to remove explicit sex scenes and a side character - a fired foot masseuse who becomes a prostitute.

! X4 s5 O9 E; n( h! xScenes 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.