A Hong Kong cinema has canceled its screening of a Taiwan documentary, originally part of an LGBT film festival, after authorities insisted that parts of the movie should be cut.
Those who purchased tickets to “Taiwan Equals Love” will have the fees refunded, Broadway Cinematheque announced Friday.
“The Film Censorship Authority did not authorise the screening of the full documentary. We jointly decided to cancel the screenings of the film, in accordance with our agreed policy not to screen censored films in this program,” the cinema wrote in a statement on Facebook.
The festival, EU-Asia Rainbow Docs, is organized by the European Union Office in Hong Kong and Macau and the Goethe-Institut. Starting June 30 to July 11, Broadway Cinematheque will screen 12 documentary features and four shorts that spotlight LGBT rights globally.
Jay Lin, producer of “Taiwan Equals Love” and a gay rights activist, said on Twitter that he is saddened by the cancelation. “Nonetheless, it affirms why we must keep raising our voices, elevating our visibility, and telling our stories,” he wrote.
Released in 2020, “Taiwan Equals Love” looks at the island’s journey in becoming the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. The documentary features three same-sex couples and their community’s fight for the landmark achievement, humanizing their struggles in the face of conservative anti-LGBT groups protesting their movement.
Coconuts has reached out to the Film Censorship Authority, a body under the government’s Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration, for comment.
While surveys have suggested a growing acceptance of LGBT rights in the city, with Hong Kong set to be the first Asian city to host the Gay Games next November, many pro-establishment politicians still view the progressive movement as a threat to traditional family values. Earlier this month, lawmaker Junius Ho said the Gay Games would bring “dirty money” to Hong Kong.
