The Philippines has granted permission for the screening of the new Barbie movie but has requested that a controversial map in the film be blurred. The production was banned in Vietnam due to allegations of featuring the nine-dash line on a map. The line is significant as it represents China’s disputed claims in the South China Sea. However, Philippine censors stated that they believed the map to be merely “cartoonish” and part of the fictional story.
The Philippines Movie and Television Review and Classification Board reviewed the movie twice, consulted with foreign affairs officials and legal experts, and concluded that the map depicted a “make-believe journey of Barbie from Barbie Land to the ‘real world’.” The board noted that the dashed lines were drawn in a “child-like manner” and appeared on various locations on the map, including Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and Asia. It also clarified that the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia were not visible on the map.
While the film has been approved, the board warned that it would not hesitate to take action against films that displayed the nine-dash line. Last week, Warner Bros defended the scene, stating that the map was a “child-like” drawing without any intended significance. The Barbie movie, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, is set to be released in the Philippines on July 19.
Source: BBC
