A week before Memoirs of a Geisha was scheduled to open at movie theaters, the Chinese government canceled the showing of the Hollywood film, reportedly because of concerns that it could spark public anger and rekindle anti-Japanese sentiment.
Officials at Sony Pictures Entertainment said they were notified of the cancelation early this week.
Film industry officials and the Chinese state media said last week that government officials were worried that the public could be outraged by seeing three of the Chinese-language world's leading actresses portraying Japanese geishas, whom many Chinese consider to be prostitutes.
The decision is a big setback for Sony Pictures, which planned to distribute the Columbia Pictures film here, as well as for the film's Chinese stars, Zhang Ziyi (
But anti-Japanese sentiment has run high over the last year after Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo, where 14 war criminals are among the 2.5 million Japanese enshrined.
According to film industry officials who were briefed on the Chinese government's decision this week, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television canceled the film's scheduled Feb. 9 release after reviewing the Chinese script of Memoirs of a Geisha, overturning an earlier decision to approve the film.
Jim Kennedy, a spokesman for Sony Pictures Entertainment in Los Angeles, said: "We were pleased by their acceptance of the film in November, and we're disappointed by this decision."
Chinese officials were not available for comment. Government offices are closed this week for the Lunar New Year holiday, and state film officials could not be reached.
Film industry officials who were briefed on the government's decision said the Chinese officials expressed concern that the public might react negatively to a movie featuring China's best-known actresses as geishas.
Despite the official ban, the film has been widely available on the streets of Beijing and Shanghai in pirated DVD format.
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