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Bye bye ‘Barbie’: Vietnam bans new movie over South China Sea map
Vietnam has banned the upcoming "Barbie" movie from cinemas over scenes with a map showing China's claims to territory in the South China Sea, state media reported Monday. The fantasy comedy film about the famous doll, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, had been set for nationwide release in Vietnam on 21 July. But its performance schedule has been removed from the websites of the country's major cinema chains following a government decision to ban the film due to scenes featuring the so-called nine-dash line, state media reported. China has long used its so-called nine-dash line to illustrate its expansive claims over most of the resource-rich sea, often to the displeasure of Hanoi, which also claims parts of the waterway. "The film review board watched the film and made the decision to ban the screening of this movie in Vietnam due to a violation regarding the 'nine-dash line'," Vietnam's Department of Cinema director, Vi Kien Thanh, told the Dan Tri news site. Another state media outlet, Tien Phong, reported that the nine-dash line scene appeared multiple times in the movie. All films in communist Vietnam must be approved by censors who screen for gratuitous violence, suggestive sex scenes, or politically-sensitive material. Last year, "Uncharted", the action-and-adventure movie starring Tom Holland, was banned from theatres due to scenes featuring the nine-dash line. And in 2018, Vietnam cut a scene from the romantic comedy "Crazy Rich Asians" that featured a designer bag with a map of the world showing the disputed South China Sea islands under Beijing's control. A year later, Hanoi pulled the animated DreamWorks film "Abominable" from cinemas over the same issue, while Netflix was told last year to ditch episodes of its "Pine Gap" series over similar scenes. The South China Sea is home to valuable oil and gas deposits and shipping lanes, and several of China's neighbours have voiced concern that Beijing is seeking to expand its reach. The post Bye bye ‘Barbie’: Vietnam bans new movie over South China Sea map appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Global box-office hit na ‘YOLO’, masisilayan na rin sa Pilipinas sa Abril
BREAKING the limits. Rising from the ashes. A fiery soul. Ganyan mailalarawan ang bagong pelikula na malapit nang dumating dito sa ating bansa. Ito ang “YOLO,” isang inspirational comedy drama film ng bansang China na nakatakdang ipalabas sa mga lokal na sinehan sa darating na April 17. Ang Chinese comedienne na si Jia Ling ang.....»»
Mission: Impossible’ returns, topping N.America box office
The seventh installment of the "Mission Impossible" franchise was No. 1 at North American box offices this weekend, Sunday estimates showed, scaring off horror flick "Insidious: The Red Door" from last weekend's top spot. Paramount's "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One," the latest in the long-running series starring Tom Cruise, brought in $52.6 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported. David A. Gross, of Franchise Entertainment Research, called the opening "roughly average for an action thriller at this point in its series." "Foreign markets are where action movies excel, and the overseas openings are strong, with the exception of China, which is good-not-great," Gross added. Coming in at second place this weekend was "Sound of Freedom," a controversial action thriller from Santa Fe Films and Angel Studios. Jim Caviezel stars in a story based on the life of former US government agent Tim Ballard, who says he has rescued more than 100 children from Colombian sex traffickers. The film has found an audience among Christian conservatives. Critics say "Sound" plays into wild QAnon conspiracy theories about a pedophilic international cabal that kidnaps children and harvests their blood. Commentators on the conservative broadcaster Fox News, meanwhile, have pushed back against detractors among the "liberal media." Angel Studios denies that its film warps the truth, though Caviezel and Ballard have both embraced some extreme QAnon claims. Despite the controversy, or perhaps because of it, the film brought in $27 million over the weekend, bringing its total up to $85 million so far. "Insidious: The Red Door," from Sony, brought in $13 million, down to third place in theaters after its $33 million opening last weekend. "Insidious," the fifth installment in the titular horror series, was followed by another franchise sequel, Disney's "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." This "Indy" episode, likely the last, again stars Harrison Ford as a whip-cracking archeologist, and took in $12 million. In fifth was Disney/Pixar's "Elemental," an animated immigrant fable that brought in $8.7 million. Rounding out the top 10 were: "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" ($6 million) "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" ($3.4 million) "No Hard Feelings" (3.3 million) "Joy Ride" (2.57 million) The Little Mermaid" ($2.35 million) The post Mission: Impossible’ returns, topping N.America box office appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
MTRCB greenlights showing of ‘Barbie’ in Phl
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board has rejected calls to prohibit the screening of the film “Barbie” in the Philippines. In its three-page letter addressed to Senator Francis Tolentino, the regulatory body stressed that there is “no basis” to ban the film in the country. “The Board believes that all things considered, it has no basis to ban the film 'Barbie' as there is no clear nor outright depiction of the nine-dash line in the subject film," the agency said. It can be recalled that Vietnam banned the showing of the film over a scene in its trailer that feature the South China Sea. Like the Philippines, Vietnam has overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea. Lawmakers, including Tolentino, who chairs the Senate Committee on Committee on Justice and Human Rights have expressed concern over the alleged “nine-dash line” in the movie. China remains firm with its historic rights nine-dash line over the West Philippine Sea, which is part of the larger South China Sea. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands favored the Philippines’ claims in the West Philippine Sea, rejecting China’s nine-dash line claim. In a video message, Tolentino expressed his sadness over the MTRCB’s decision. “We are saddened because tomorrow is the 7th anniversary of our victory in the Arbitral Court which invalidated the nine-dash line,” he said. ‘Blur’ According to the MTRCB, the controversial scene in the movie was requested to be blurred to avoid “further misinterpretations.” “The film underwent two meticulous screenings with the MTRCB. The first screening involved a full review of the film including discussions and deliberations by the members of the Review Committee,” it said. “After thorough deliberations by the Review Committee, we immediately requested the film's distributors, Warner Bros., to blur the controversial lines in order to avoid further misinterpretations,” it added. In 2019, the government also pulled the movie “Abominable” from local theaters over a scene that featured China’s nine-dash line claim. Due to the same reason, the 2022 film “Uncharted” was also banned from screening in the country. The post MTRCB greenlights showing of ‘Barbie’ in Phl appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
9-dash-line in ‘Barbie’ movie ‘injurious’ to Phl prestige — Sen. Tolentino
Senator Francis Tolentino on Wednesday warned that the depiction of China’s nine-dash line over the South China Sea in the upcoming fantasy comedy film “Barbie” is “injurious to the prestige” of the Philippines. In a television interview, Tolentino said that screening of the movie in the country would cause a “dilute” in Philippine sovereignty. A scene in the movie shows a map with the nine-dash line, a representation of the territorial claims of China in the South China Sea that overlaps with the exclusive economic zone claims of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations such as Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. “Allowing the local screening of the motion picture… would not just be injurious to the Republic of the Philippines but would be contrary to what our country fought for and achieved under that Arbitral Ruling in 2016. What that effect would be? Something that would dilute our sovereignty,” said Tolentino, the vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Tolentino earlier urged the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board to prevent the upcoming screening of the Barbie movie, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, in the Philippines. “The Vietnamese government already decided to totally ban the screening of Barbie following a review, in which, the depiction of the nine-dash line scene was first noticed,” he said. However, Tolentino said he would still be leaving it up to the MTRCB to decide on the banning of the film. “It’s up to [the] leadership of the MTRCB on whether to forbid the showing of Barbie, similar to what the said the agency did when it decided not to allow the local screening of the films ‘Abominable’ and ‘Unchartered’ in 2019 and 2022 respectively, due to their depiction of the nine-dash line,” he said. “The Arbitral Ruling clearly stated that the claim of China here has no legal basis,” he added. Meanwhile, Senator Robin Padilla said he cannot make a personal call at this time on whether to allow the showing of “Barbie” in the Philippines without first watching it. “But this is clear: The decision of whether to allow the showing of this film due to its scene about China’s 9-dash line — which contradicts the arbitral ruling favoring the Philippines — ultimately depends on the messaging of the film,” he said in a separate statement. “If the scene or scenes will affect the arbitral ruling, but if the producers would agree to edit it or them out, then I have no problem having it shown,” he added. However, the actor-turned-senator said if an agreement cannot be reached to make sure the film does not become a geopolitical issue, then there is no choice but to disallow its showing here. Padilla believes the showing of the movie will depend on the context of the film, and the extent the producer is willing to address concerns on the arbitral ruling. In 2016, The Hague Tribunal invalidated Beijing’s ‘nine-dash line doctrine’ over the entire SCS region following an arbitration case filed by the Philippine government on 22 January 2013. The Tribunal ruled that China’s nine-dash line unilaterally encroached on territories of other member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.### The post 9-dash-line in ‘Barbie’ movie ‘injurious’ to Phl prestige — Sen. Tolentino appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Banning ‘Barbie’ movie in Phl cinemas over 9-dash-line under review
The highly-anticipated movie "Barbie" is now surrounded by controversy after a scene featuring the U-shaped "nine-dash line" is used on Chinese maps to illustrate its claims over vast areas of the South China Sea, prompting Vietnam to ban the film’s commercial screenings in their country. In the Philippines, senators weighed in on whether the government should do the same with Vietnam, which banned the film for depicting China's controversial nine-dash line, which was repudiated in an international arbitration ruling by a court in The Hague in 2016. Senator Francis Tolentino is urging the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board to restrict the Philippine cinema screening of the "Barbie" movie—starring Margot Robbie as the titular doll. "If the invalidated 9-dash line was indeed depicted in the movie 'Barbie,' then it is incumbent upon the MTRCB to ban the same as it denigrates Philippine sovereignty,” Tolentino said. In a statement Tuesday, the MTRCB said it is currently deciding whether should upcoming "Barbie" movie will be allowed for commercial release in the Philippines. It added that they have reviewed the movie while the assigned Committee on First Review is deliberating the request of distributor Warner Brothers F.E. Inc. to exhibit the film. Once available, MTRCB said the copy of the Committee's decision will be uploaded on their official website. However, Senator Risa Hontiveros sees nothing wrong with the movie as it is only depicting fictional characters and imaginative scenes. “The movie is fiction, and so is the nine-dash line. At the minimum, our cinemas should include an explicit disclaimer that the nine-dash line is a figment of China's imagination,” Hontiveros added Meantime, Senator Jinggoy Estrada believed that the MTRCB will ban the movie as it is not the first time it happened. “This is not a first as there had been similar cases in the past such as the movies titled "Uncharted" and "Abominable" that have been pulled out from our cinemas because of a brief glimpse of the unilaterally declared nine-dash line of China,” Estrada said. Recognizing that the scene is fictional, Estrada underscored that the issue remains “very sensitive.” “It is contrary to our national interest and China has no historic rights in the waters within the nine-dash line. No less than the Arbitral Tribunal already held in 2016 that this infamous line has no legal basis,” he added. The post Banning ‘Barbie’ movie in Phl cinemas over 9-dash-line under review appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pentagon chief reaffirms support after latest China aggression in WPS
Austin emphasized US support for the Philippines in defending its sovereign rights and jurisdiction in a phone call with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Wednesday. .....»»
Dela Rosa considers war with China but admits: ‘Hindi naman natin kaya’
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa is already fed up with China’s persistent harassments in the West Philippine Sea, prompting thoughts of engaging in war with Beijing. But he knows, war is not an option. “Naubos na ang sasabihin ko dapat dyan. Short of declaring war na tayo dyan against sa kanila e,.....»»
EXPLAINER: Why did the Baltimore bridge collapse and what is the death toll?
(Reuters) -Divers recovered the remains of two of the six missing workers more than a day after a cargo ship smashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. The bodies of two men were found in a red pickup truck submerged in the icy waters of the Patapsco River. Rescuers pulled two workers from the water.....»»
FOCAP condemns Chinese embassy’s claims on ‘manipulated’ West Philippine Sea videos
The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines strongly rejected and condemned yesterday China’s “false and baseless” claims that journalists manipulate videosthey recorded in the South China Sea to present the Philippines as a victim......»»
Roque: Xi, Duterte agreed to keep West Philippines Sea status quo
The Philippines under former president Rodrigo Duterte had a “gentleman’s agreement” with China to keep the status quo in the West Philippine Sea, a former Cabinet official said yesterday, as fresh tensions surround the WPS due to recent incursions by Beijing that targeted a Filipino resupply mission and a research team......»»
Opinion - South China Sea- Philippines must softly manage disputes or miss out economically
Manilas assertive transparency strategy is touted as a model for managing maritime disputes but it diminishes key economic opportunities. As Chinese investment pours into other Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines must reduce geopolitical risks without acquiescing to Beijing......»»
India backs Philippines in dispute with China
New Delhi has drawn a strong response from Beijing after reiterating its support for Manila in a territorial dispute India has "firmly reiterated" its support for the Philippines and its "national sovereignty," as Manila remains locked in a territorial dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea. Ten.....»»
India backs Philippines in sea dispute with China
New Delhi has drawn a strong response from Beijing after reiterating its support for Manila in a territorial dispute India has "firmly reiterated" its support for the Philippines and its "national sovereignty," as Manila remains locked in a territorial dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea. Ten.....»»
Philippine scientists harassed by China helicopter
Another case of harassment at sea by the Chinese has been reported – this time near Pag-Asa Island last Saturday – involving a helicopter, which hovered dangerously close to a group of Filipino scientists doing research work on a sand bar called Sandy Cay, causing minor injuries......»»
Panatag is proven PH territory; China claims it by bogus history
A civilian supply expedition to Panatag (Scarborough) is set this summer. The shoal is Philippine territory. Filipinos have every right to enter its 15,000-hectare lagoon bound by rocks and reefs......»»
Quizon second in Hanoi Grandmaster tourney
Olympiad-bound International Master Daniel Quizon continued his strong showing as he finished second in the second group of the two-bracket Hanoi Grandmaster Closed Tournament in Vietnam recently......»»
‘Trade with China should continue’
The Philippines should continue to pursue stronger trade ties with China despite rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea, according to the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. and the Department of Trade and Industry......»»
Direk Zig Dulay continues to explore Fantasy Worlds
After helming the hit show “Maria Clara at Ibarra” and film “Firefly,” Zig Dulay is in charge of the mise-en-scéne of the GMA teleserye “My Guardian Angel.”.....»»
Coast Guard ship Samudra Paheredar on overseas deployment to ASEAN, arrives im Phillipines
Manila [Philippines], March 25 (ANI): India Coast Guard ship Samudra Paheredar, a specialized Pollution Control Vessel, reached Manila, Philippines on Monday, marking the commencement of its (overseas deployment) OSD mission to Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) countries. ASEAN countries includes Brunei Darussalam, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, " acc.....»»