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Film regulators in the Philippines are threatening to join Vietnam in banning the long-awaited Warner Bros. movie Barbie Film over a scene in the film depicting a politically sensitive map of Southeast Asia.
On Monday, Vietnam’s National Film Rating Board said it was banning all showings of the film for its on-screen inclusion of a map showing the so-called “nine-point line,” a U-shaped line marking China’s contentious territorial claims in the South China Sea, which both Vietnam says. And the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei it violates their sovereignty.
Speaking to CNN Philippines on Tuesday, local Sen. Francis Tolentino said, “If the nine-police nullified line is actually depicted in the movie… BarbieThe Film and Television Ratings and Review Board of the Philippines should ban the same as it violates Philippine sovereignty.”
The senator added that editing the offending scene could be a compromise for the Philippine regulators and the film studio. However, such a move could infuriate film regulators in China Barbie It has already been approved for release and is expected to earn significantly more than it would earn in Southeast Asia. Hollywood Reporter Warner Bros. has reached out for comment.
The Film and Television Review and Rating Board of the Philippines on Tuesday posted a notice on its website saying, “We confirm that the film has been reviewed by the Board. Barbie Today, July 04, 2023. At this time, the committee appointed for First Review is deliberating on Warner Brothers FE Inc.’s application. To obtain permission to view.
The MTRCB only tends to post such notices when permission to release a film is in dispute. He did not add when a decision might be reached.
Vietnam and the Philippines, while smaller film markets, are hardly neglected. A Hollywood hit can earn between $5 million to over $10 million in each country.
With its use of the Nine Divide Line, China has attempted to claim 90 percent of the South China Sea. In 2016, an international court in The Hague ruled that China had no legal basis for such claims. But Beijing has not recognized the ruling, instead showcasing its growing military might by building large-scale military installations on previously uninhabited islands in the region.
This is not the first time that Vietnam and the Philippines have taken offense at American films for showing China’s favorite map. Sony unknownstarring Tom Holland, was banned in both countries last year for the same reason.
Directed by Greta Gerwig, and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, Barbie begins releasing internationally July 19.