Winnie-the-Pooh has recently made headlines for the release of the micro-budget UK slasher film, “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey.” The movie depicts a feral version of Pooh and Piglet on a bloody rampage after Christopher Robin leaves them behind for college. Despite making $5.5 million after launches in over 40 markets, the film’s release in Hong Kong and Macau has been canceled, prompting concerns about censorship and the shrinking creative freedoms in the region’s film industry.
According to Ray Fong, the general manager of the local indie distributor VII Pillars Entertainment, the film had been approved for release by Hong Kong’s Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration (OFNAA). The movie had received the Category III rating, which required all viewers to be over 18, but Fong claims no editing was necessary. The cancellation of the film’s release has raised suspicions about censorship, particularly given that the terms “technical” and “commercial” are often euphemisms used to obscure censorship issues.
Winnie-the-Pooh has been a target of Chinese censorship for nearly a decade. It started in 2013 when a meme comparing the Chinese Premier Xi Jinping to Pooh went viral. Internet users began mentioning Pooh whenever they wanted to reference Xi in relation to both benign and politically sensitive issues. By 2018, all mentions and searches of Pooh were frequently blocked from Chinese social media, and even the $70 million live-action/CGI film “Christopher Robin” was blocked from release in China.
Given the success of “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey” globally, insiders have expressed doubts about the “technical” and “commercial” explanations for the cancellation of its Hong Kong release. Some have speculated that the feral version of Pooh and the popularity of the character as a symbol of dissent in Hong Kong might have provoked the censorship. In Hong Kong, pro-democracy activists have adopted Pooh as a symbol of resistance against mainland China, where the government has been known to censor any content that challenges its authority.
The cancellation of the movie’s release in Hong Kong has raised concerns about the future of creative freedom in the region’s film industry. Hong Kong was once known as a vibrant hub of filmmaking and an incubator of new talent. However, the territory’s autonomy has been eroding since its handover to China in 1997. Recent changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system and the introduction of a national security law have curbed freedom of expression and made it difficult for pro-democracy activists to voice their opinions.
The fate of “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey” in Hong Kong highlights the importance of protecting creative freedom and the arts in the region. Hong Kong’s film industry has been a valuable contributor to the global film scene and has produced many critically acclaimed works that have earned international recognition. By censoring controversial films, the authorities are stifling creative expression and limiting the cultural diversity that Hong Kong has long been known for.
The cancellation of “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey” in Hong Kong has raised concerns about censorship and creative freedom in the region’s film industry. The film’s controversial subject matter, combined with its global success, has prompted speculation that the censorship was politically motivated. As Hong Kong’s autonomy continues to shrink, it is important to protect creative freedom and the arts as valuable components of cultural diversity and expression.
