Screening of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey cancelled in Hong ...
The screening of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey has reportedly been cancelled for technical reasons in Hong Kong, according to local streaming websites. The film was due to be released in the special administrative region of China this week.
Several times in the past, Chinese censors have targeted the Winnie the Pooh character, which was originally conceptualised by the English author AA Milne, supposedly due to memes that compare the bumbling bear to President Xi Jinping.
Moviematic announced the cancellation of the screenings on its social media pages. Several other websites and media also reported the cancellation of screenings.
The film's distributor in Hong Kong, VII Pillars Entertainment, has not commented on the reports yet. However, a ticket-booking link on its Facebook page says that the sale of tickets is temporarily unavailable.
The comparisons between the Chinese President and the fictional character began in 2013 when Xi visited the US and met his then counterpart, Barack Obama. At the time, some trolls compared the two to Pooh and Tigger.
Meanwhile, some people in China have used Pooh's image to signal dissent.
Back in 2021, Hong Kong's legislature passed a new censorship law banning films deemed to "endorse, support, glorify, encourage and incite activities that might endanger national security". Punishment for violating the censorship law includes up to three years imprisonment and a hefty fine of $130,000. Critics say that the legislation has stifled the vibrant local film industry of Hong Kong.
The movie has been written, directed and produced by Rhys Frake-Waterfield. It serves as a horror retelling of A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard's Winnie-the-Pooh books.
It stars Craig David Dowsett as Winnie-the-Pooh and Chris Cordell as Piglet. Amber Doig-Thorne, Nikolai Leon, Maria Taylor, Natasha Rose Mills and Danielle Ronald are seen in supporting roles.
(With inputs from agencies)
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