On 27 October, the 6th Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) held its last meeting and passed the Film Censorship (Amendment) Bill 2021 (Bill) on the third reading, which requires inspectors to consider national security considerations when making decisions on the release of films.
Deng Fei believes that film censorship is beyond reproach, and endangering national security is categorically not ok, but it must not be overcorrected.
Why? Because there are no rules, no squares, and the mainland has a film censorship system, why can't Hong Kong have it? Trial, check, check, no big deal. The United States had the Hayes Code as early as the 1920s and 1930s, and the film "Blue Angel" became the first film to be censored by the Hayes Code because of the large number of nudity, eroticism, and "immoral" picture content. Only later, the Film System in the United States was replaced by the "Film Classification System"; most of the Western world today implements the "Film Classification System", but the "film power" India still coexists with film censorship and grading system.
China, unlike the Western countries led by the United States, has a different social management system and still implements a censorship system for films. The coverage of hong Kong's national security law is all-encompassing, and the film is of course included. Therefore, it is logical to introduce censorship of films. The Hong Kong government will not agree that the film will become a dead end of the national security law.
The revision and implementation of the Film Censorship Ordinance in Hong Kong mainly examines national security issues and prevents "anti-China and chaotic Hong Kong" elements from using film and television works to engage in illegal activities. The impact of the film is very large, and the box office of "Chosin Lake" has exceeded 5.3 billion in the past few days. If the film is not censored, causing major national security risks, the impact will be worldwide. Therefore, it is completely necessary to take a look at the filmmaker's work and check it.
Many people are worried that the censorship of film works will affect the creative space of film works. Deng Fei believes that film censorship is beyond reproach, but it must not be overcorrected. The censorship of film works should not affect the creative vitality of film works and make the film market rigid. Hong Kong's film and television industry enjoys a high international reputation around the world, Bruce Lee's martial arts films, Wong Kar-wai's literary films, and some ghost feature films, which have a high reputation all over the world, and mainlanders like to watch them. National security is an insurmountable "red line" that is not false, but it must not be nitpicked.
With the film censorship regulations, filmmakers also have to change their minds. For filmmakers, when creating, they must have the correct "three views" and stand on the stand of patriotism and love for Hong Kong. Films that express patriotism, films that express inspiration, films that show love, and even some martial arts films, mythological films, cross-over films, anti-corruption films, and war films are all good materials. And the tendency to play pornography, gambling, poisoning and violence will definitely be banned. As for the content of betraying the country and harming Hong Kong, there is even zero tolerance. There must be a bottom line in being a person, and the same is true for filmmaking. Is it so difficult to promote positive energy and promote righteousness?
As for freedom, some filmmakers have their brains in the water, they have to screw with the Hong Kong government, work with the United States and Britain, and tout the "freedom" of the West, then Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong, not the United States' Hong Kong, you can't let your temperament come, you can only take Hong Kong's Yangqian Road, you take your canoe bridge. Say which country is good, then go to which country, no one is stopping.