2023-07-04 06:50:33
Because of a “map of the South China Sea” … Vietnam bans the movie “Barbie”
Vietnam has banned the upcoming “Barbie” movie from cinemas because of scenes including a map showing areas China asserts in the South China Sea, state media said Monday.
The fantasy comedy regarding the famous doll, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, was scheduled to be shown nationwide in Vietnam from July 21, according to Agence France-Presse.
However, state media reported that the film’s showtimes were withdrawn from the websites of the country’s major cinema chains, following a government decision to ban the film due to scenes showing the so-called nine-sector line.
China has long used the so-called nine-sector line to articulate its vast claims over most of the resource-rich sea, to the constant chagrin of Hanoi, which also claims parts of the waterway.
Maritime dispute in the South China Sea (Middle East)
“The film review board saw this film and made a decision to ban it from being shown in Vietnam due to a violation related to” the nine sector line, Phi Kin Thanh, director of the Vietnamese cinema division, told Dan Tre News.
Another state media outlet, Tien Fung, reported that the scene showing the line of nine sectors appeared several times in the film.
In Vietnam, all films must be approved by censors, which prohibit scenes containing gratuitous violence, sexual suggestiveness or politically sensitive material.
And last year, the action-adventure movie “Uncharted”, starring Tom Holland, was banned from showing in Vietnamese cinemas due to scenes involving the nine-sector line.
And in 2018, Vietnam cut a scene from the romantic comedy movie “Crazy Rich Asians” in which a luxurious bag appeared with a map of the world showing the disputed South China Sea islands under Beijing’s control.
The following year, Hanoi pulled the animated movie “Abominable” from cinemas for the same reason, while last year Netflix was asked to drop episodes of “Pine Gap” containing similar scenes.
The South China Sea contains large reserves of oil and gas and shipping lanes, and Beijing’s neighbors have often expressed fear that the giant neighbor is seeking to expand its control over the sea.
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