After Vietnam, The Philippines Could Be Next To Ban 'Barbie.' Here's Why
Margot Robbie poses for the media ahead of the Barbie movie press conference on Monday in Seoul, South Korea. The film will be released in Russian distribution on July 19 . Lee Jinman/AP hide caption
Manila, Philippines. Who knew the upcoming showdown over China's longstanding territorial dispute with its Southeast Asian neighbors over the South China Sea would be so... PINK?
The next Warner Bros. Barbie hasn't been shown in theaters yet, and Southeast Asia's second largest country may ban its release due to a scene that includes a card with an ambiguous nine-dot U-shaped outline. on maps where he claims to own nearly all of the South China Sea.
Many of Beijing's neighbors in and around the South China Sea say the claims threaten their sovereignty.
Warner Bros. says the map is a "childish" drawing that is not meant to be approved.
Territorial claims in the South China Sea are complex and overlap.
Beijing's claim, represented here by the thick red dotted line, is often depicted on Chinese maps as nine long lines—hence the term "nine dotted lines."
endnotes
These are approximate requirements of China and other countries. In many cases, countries deliberately do not disclose the extent of their claims.The Philippine Board of Film and Television Review and Classification released a notice on Tuesday confirming that a Barbie film is under review. The film regulator did not say why the film is being considered or when a decision will be made on whether it will be shown in theaters across the country.
The film was due for release in theaters in the Philippines on July 19.
The review came after Philippine Senator Francis Tolentino asked a regulatory body to block the film from his card. He told CNN in the Philippines that screening the film domestically would denigrate Philippine sovereignty.
“This will not only harm the Republic of the Philippines, but it will also be contrary to what our country fought for and achieved in accordance with the 2016 arbitration award,” Tolentino said, referring to the decision of the Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration, which he rejected. . . China has extended its claims to the South China Sea , claiming they have no basis in international law.
However, Beijing ignored the move and continues to build artificial islands and patrol large stretches of the critical waterway, drawing the wrath of neighboring countries.
Earlier this week, Vietnam's National Film Rating Board banned all theatrical screenings of Barbie over a nine-point line card. The move places Barbie on a growing list of films banned in Vietnam, including the 2019 DreamWorks animated film The Disgusting , the 2022 Sony Uncharted film, and the 2021 Australian spy film Pine Gap .
A screenshot from the Barbie trailer showing a map of the world that appears to show the controversial nine-dash line. Warner Bros. Images hide header
The map in question appears in the main trailer for the film. He makes a brief appearance in a scene where Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, goes to another Barbie's house to find help for her existential crisis. In this house is a luminous map of the world, which shows a line of nine points, coming from the east coast of the Asian continent, apparently China.
Warner Bros. did not respond to NPR's request for comment. But in a statement to Reuters, the film studio defended the use of the card.
"The Barbie Earth Map is a strange drawing that looks like a child's pencil drawing," said Warner Bros. says in the statement. Press agency. “The sketches depict Barbie's fictional journey from Barbie Country to the real world. They weren't meant to make any statements."
Filipino military historian José Antonio Castodio says displaying the nine-dashed line is "crude capitalism" because while it benefits Beijing, it is highly offensive to everyone else.
"Because it only legitimizes China's illegal claim to the entire South China Sea, which is not backed by any government in the world," he told NPR. “In particular, the United States itself. For an American company to legitimize what the Chinese are doing is obviously outrageous.”
While Senator Tolentino has floated the idea of a compromise that could come in the form of a card release, such a move could draw the ire of China, "where Barbie is already approved for release and expected to make much more than her"...in Southeast Asia , according to The Hollywood Reporter. However, the newspaper writes, Vietnam and the Philippines are important markets that Hollywood has entered. "could make between $5 million and $10 million in any country."
The keeper says "Perhaps the Philippines will end up banning the film like Vietnam did."
