Philippines decides to review Barbie following Vietnam ban
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie lands into hot water after authorities in Philippines are contemplating about its commercial release.
On July 4, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRBC) published a statement on its website stating that it’s reviewing the “movie’s classification”.
“We confirm that the Board has reviewed the film ‘Barbie’
04 July 2023. At this time, the assigned Committee on First Review is
deliberating on the request of Warner Brothers F.E. Inc. for a Permit to
Exhibit. Once available, a copy of the Permit to Exhibit or the Committee’s
decision will be uploaded to the Agency’s official website,” explained the
MTRBC.
Meanwhile, Philippines made this move a day after Vietnam
banned upcoming Barbie movie over disputed map scene.
According to local media reports via Variety, “If the invalidated
nine-dash line was indeed depicted in the movie, Barbie, then it is
incumbent upon MTRCB to ban the same as it denigrates Philippines
sovereignty,” said Philippines Senator Francis Tolentino, vice chairman of
the Senate foreign relations committee.
Back in 2022, the MTRBC
stopped the release of Uncharted in The Philippines for the same reasons.
It
is also reported that the senators in the Philippines wanted some kind of
compromise like asking distributor Warner Bros to “edit out the offending
scene in Barbie”.
Senator Risa Hontiveros added, “Philippine
cinemas should at the minimum include an explicit disclaimer that the
nine-dash line is a figment of one's imagination.”
