This is the kind of news item that burns through my guts: according to Variety, producer Fang Li and co-production company Beijing Laurel Films have been banned from any involvement in the film business for two years by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT, AKA Film Bureau) in China. The Film Bureau is responsible for censoring materials that might be objectionable to the Mainland Chinese government or cultural standards.

The reasons for the ban are related to director Li Yu's Lost in Beijing. (That's her in the photo with Fang Li.) Monika Bartyzel first wrote about the story nearly a year ago when the Film Bureau banned the film from screening at the Berlin film festival. As Monika noted, Lost in Beijing "involves a relationship between the boss of a Beijing massage parlor (Tony Leung) and his female worker (Fan Bingbing)." The filmmakers refused to edit the film and screened it anyway; in his review, Erik Davis said the picture includes scenes "that shed a negative light on China," but overall the material was "far from risky," at least from the perspective of an American audience member. He thought Lost in Beijing was "good but not great."

The controversy appeared to have died down by the time the film hit Chinese theaters on November 30, but the ban has just now been handed down. Variety says that the crux of the ban is the charge that the filmmakers illegally distributed "unapproved and pornographic clips online," according to the Film Bureau. Producer Fang told Variety that one of their "unprocessed, unedited images was stolen and distributed on the Internet." He said that he was shocked by the ban and will meet with the Film Bureau next week to discuss the whole mess. Fang also produced Lou Ye's Summer Palace; that film screened at Cannes without permission, resulting in Ye being banned from the industry for five years.

Last week I brought you the news that Chinese director Li Yu's new feature, Lost in Beijing, was banned by Chinese censors from being screened at Berlin. Their options were few -- give up on the German fest, go anyway and face a moviemaking ban like Lou Ye or edit their film into something the censors would find acceptable -- which would be hard considering the fact that the movie is about a love story set in a Beijing massage parlour. However, in a shocking twist, it seems that the Chinese censors are lightening up a little.

They've offered a compromise with Li Yu -- if she cuts 15 minutes from her film that deals with class conflict and rape, then they will allow it to head to Berlinale. According to Fang, this means cutting two specific pieces of the film -- a love affair between a window-washer and a rich man's wife, and a country girl's descent into prostitution after getting fired from a big-city job. Fang is now heading to Bangkok to rush the film through its final postproduction, and to dicuss options with the film's mainland distributor. According to Films Distribution, even if the Berlin audiences see an edited version, a director's cut will be screened for potential buyers -- but the final say remains with Li Yu, who could face serious professional consequences if she does.

As for the censors, Fang thinks that the Film Bureau is trying to save face by offering a compromise. He, therefore, gives "a little credit to the FIlm Bureau officials, but none to the review committee." Why? Fang says that other cuts demanded by the committee included a close-up of China's national flag and a Mercedes driving over a puddle in a dark alley. Sounds strange, doesn't it? According to Fang, these decisions reflect China's plan to present a clean/stable country for next year's Beijing Olympics. Luckily these censors weren't in LA in '84, because they probably would've shut down half of Hollywood.

For all the plights of North American filmmakers, there's always someone, somewhere who has it worse, and it's usually directors in China. Chinese laws are quite strict, which often leads filmmakers to be incredibly creative in showing certain themes -- especially sex, as I briefly discussed in November. Director Li Yu is the latest casualty of strict Chinese censors. Her film, Lost in Beijing, was to compete at the Berlin International Film Festival this month, but her country has banned her from bringing the film to the fest. The film involves a relationship between the boss of a Beijing massage parlor (Tony Leung) and his female worker (Fan Bingbing).

According to Producer Fang Li, the ban states: "According to current regulations, your film needs further modifications and therefore is not allowed to go for the 57th Berlinale." This is, obviously, a huge blow to the film, as the festival begins in a week. He's also quoted as saying that Li Yu "is not in a mood to do anything." I'm not surprised! While the censors are open to further editing by the filmmaker, Fang has asserted that to do so would destroy the film. They plan to lobby the Film Bureau as long as they can, before deciding whether they want to ignore the ruling and attend the festival anyway. Fang also produced Lou Ye's Summer Palace last year, which was brought to Cannes without China's approval -- and ultimately led to the director being banned from filmmaking in China for the next 5 years. Hopefully Li Yu won't have the same fate.