The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. The name of the issuing body has been omitted to protect the source.
All websites: Immediately find and delete all information related to the Taiwanese movie “Detention.” (September 29, 2019) [Chinese]
The recently released psychological horror movie “Detention,” based on a video game with the same name, is set in 1960s Taiwan under martial law. The new movie is apparently being targeted by Chinese censors because of its political storyline. From Josh Ye at Abacus News:
Since the controversy around Devotion, Red Candle Games has faced censorship in China. Discussions and news related to the company, including news about the movie’s new trailer, are largely blocked behind the Great Firewall.
Horror fans in Taiwan and Hong Kong, on the other hand, appear to be very excited about the upcoming film. One user on Facebook commented, “The moment I saw Detention, I felt a tingling on my scalp. I am so excited!”
Even without any obvious insults aimed at Xi Jinping, Detention can still be seen as a game with some important political themes. Many see it as a political commentary on Taiwan’s own ugly past during the period of White Terror, which saw the violent suppression of political dissidents. Some fans worried that the film might not include these more overt political themes.
“I am expecting to watch the neutered version of this movie,” one person commented on Facebook. [Source]
Red Candle Games, which produced the Detention game, previously encountered problems with the Chinese government when another game, Devotion, was pulled from the Steam store after it contained a hidden insult of Xi Jinping.
A trailer for “Detention”:
Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. Some instructions are issued by local authorities or to specific sectors, and may not apply universally across China. The date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source. See CDT’s collection of Directives from the Ministry of Truth since 2011.
