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What is film censorship like in Hong Kong?

Censorship in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, has ramped up since the passage of a National Security Law on June 30, 2020. The law covers Hong Kong and its global diaspora and criminalizes four broadly defined activities which include secession, subversion of state power, terrorism, and foreign collusion.

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Then in 2021, Hong Kong passed censorship law to ban movies that “endorse, support, glorify, encourage and incite activities that might endanger national security.” Last year, two films were pulled from a Hong Kong international film festival, including Taiwanese film Islander, and Hong Kong film Time, and Time again, after failing to get an approval certificate from authorities.

Article 25 in China’s 2002 Film and Administration Regulation bans the depiction of content that “propagates evil cults or superstition.” The policy has been used to censor a range of films in China, including ghost and horror movies.

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