Pentagon Warns Movie Producers on China Censorship

The Pentagon said it will refuse to work with movie producers that adhere to any censorship demands by the Chinese government, The Washington Free Beacon reported.

The Department of Defense said that under the new regulations, any help film producers request from the Pentagon will not be given if they intend to abide by Chinese requests for censorship of the movie.

Politico obtained a Defense Department document stating that it “will not provide production assistance when there is demonstrable evidence that the production has complied or is likely to comply with a demand from the Government of the People’s Republic of China… to censor the content of the project in a material manner to advance the national interest of the People’s Republic of China.” 

Hollywood and the Defense Department for decades have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship, Politico pointed out. The Pentagon has permitted filmmakers to shoot their movies on military bases, Navy ships, or other military locations, and has a say in the process of making the move, thus benefiting from positive portrayals of service members.

At the same time, filmmakers gain access to authentic military settings and technical expertise.

The problem of Chinese attempts to censor the content of American films has been highlighted over the years. 

In one case, Republican lawmakers were upset in 2019 that Paramount reportedly scrubbed the Taiwanese flag from the jacket of the star character in “Top Gun: Maverick” at the behest of Chinese censors.

Amid the uproar, the studio, which had worked extensively with the U.S. Navy to produce the film, changed its decision and brought back the Taiwan flag.