Philippines Threatens To Ban 'Barbie' To Join Vietnam Over Nine-Dash Line
The senate in the Philippines threatens to ban 'Barbie', the much-anticipated Warner Bros. movie because it has a scene in which a highly sensitive map of Southeast Asia is shown. This is because Vietnam has already banned the movie.
James K.Jul 06, 20233877 Shares129221 Views
The senate in the Philippines threatens to ban 'Barbie', the much-anticipated Warner Bros. movie because it has a scene in which a highly sensitive map of Southeast Asia is shown. This is because Vietnam has already banned the movie.
On Monday, Vietnam's National Film Evaluation Council said it was banning all screenings of the film because it showed a map with the so-called "nine-dash line," a U-shaped line that shows China's controversial territorial claims in the South China Sea, which Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei all say violate their sovereignty.
Philippines Threatens to Ban 'Barbie' Movie | THR News
The new "Barbie" movie might be banned in another country because it has a map showing China's disputed rights to land in the South China Sea. Officials from the Philippines' film review board are thinking about whether or not to let "Barbie" be shown in the country after it came to light that the movie has a plan that shows the "nine-dash line."
On Wednesday, a senator asked the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to stop the upcoming screening of Warner Bros. Pictures' "Barbie" movie because of a digital illustration of a scene with the so-called "nine-dash line" claim of the Chinese government of their supposed military expansion in the whole South China Sea (SCS) region, including the area along the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
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We confirm that the Board has reviewed the film ‘Barbie’ today, 04 July 2023. At this time, the assigned Committee on First Review is deliberating on the request of Warner Brothers F.E. Inc. for a Permit to Exhibit.- Movie and Television Review and Classification Board of the Philippines
In an interview, Senator Francis Tolentino said that letting the movie be shown in the Philippines would be "harmful" to the country's reputation. Tolentino said that taking out the map could be a "middle ground."
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If the invalidated nine-dash line was indeed depicted in the movie ‘Barbie,’ then it is incumbent upon the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board of the Philippines to ban the same as it denigrates Philippine sovereignty.- Senator Francis Tolentino
The "nine-dash line" refers to a demarcation line used by the People's Republic of China to claim maritime rights and territorial sovereignty over vast areas of the South China Sea. It consists of nine dashes, or sometimes called "nine-dotted line," drawn on maps to enclose an area that extends southward from China's Hainan Island, looping around and encompassing the Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands, and other disputed territories in the region.
China's claim based on the nine-dash line has been a significant source of contention among neighboring countries in the South China Sea, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. These countries have overlapping territorial claims in the area, leading to ongoing disputes and tensions.
The legality and legitimacy of China's nine-dash line claim have been widely debated. In 2016, an international tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) ruled that China's claim has no legal basis and does not accord with UNCLOS. The tribunal concluded that China's claims to historic rights or maritime entitlements within the nine-dash line are invalid.
Despite the ruling, China has continued to assert its claims based on the nine-dash line, and tensions in the South China Sea persist. Efforts to find diplomatic resolutions and clarify maritime boundaries in the region are ongoing through negotiations, international arbitration, and multilateral dialogues involving affected countries and international stakeholders.
The Warner Bros. movie with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling was supposed to come out on July 21, the same day it did in the US. Local newssite in Vietnam says that Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Vietnam cinema department at the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, made the announcement on Monday, July 3. He said that the National Film Evaluation Council made the choice.
Vietnam and the Philippines have been upset before when U.S. movies showed China's chosen map. Last year, Tom Holland's game Uncharted, made by Sony, was banned in both countries for the same reason.
A few days ago, Vietnam banned the new Barbie from Warner Bros. because of a scene that showed a map of the South China Sea with the "nine-dash line" that is disputed by its government. Now, the Philippines is deciding if it will do the same.
The MTRCB usually only puts up these kinds of warnings when a film's permission to be shown is in question. It didn't say when a choice could be made. Vietnam and the Philippines are smaller places for movies, but that doesn't mean they aren't important. In each country, a big Hollywood movie can make anywhere from $5 million to over $10 million.