Vietnam’s media reported that the Asian country has banned Warner Bros’ upcoming movie “Barbie” from domestic distribution over a scene featuring a map that shows China’s unilaterally claimed territory in the South China Sea on Monday, 3 July 2023.
“We do not grant a license for the American movie ‘Barbie’ to be released in Vietnam because it contains the offending image of the nine-dash line,” said Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Department of Cinema, a government body in charge of licensing and censoring foreign films, according to the Tuoi Tre news cite.
Originally, the “Barbie” movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling was scheduled to be screened on 21 July 2023 in Vietnam.
“Barbie” is the latest movie to be banned in Vietnam for depicting China’s controversial nine-dash line.
In 2019 the Vietnamese government pulled DreamWorks’ animated film “Abominable” and last year it banned Sony’s action movie “Unchartered” for the same reason. Netflix also removed an Australian spy drama “Pine Gap” in 2021, reported Reuters.
Source:
- https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vietnam-bans-barbie-movie-over-south-china-sea-map-2023-07-03/
- https://tuoitre.vn/phim-barbie-bi-cam-chieu-o-viet-nam-vi-co-hinh-anh-duong-luoi-bo-20230703120307715.htm
