The Department of Defense (DoD) recently updated a media production document, declaring that it will not work with film studios that tailor their movies to meet China’s demands.
“The DoD 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, the Chinese Communist Party, or an entity under the direction of the People’s Republic of China or the Chinese Communist Party to censor the content of the project in a material manner to advance the national interest of the People’s Republic of China,” according to a document shared with The Epoch Times (pdf).
The document says media productions include feature motion pictures, episodic television programs, documentaries, and electronic games.
According to the document, the update is made in accordance with a provision (Section 1257) in the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (pdf), a massive defense spending bill that President Joe Biden signed into law in December last year.
In response to an inquiry from The Epoch Times, the Pentagon said the new regulation is “currently in effect” after the document was updated on June 28.
For decades, Hollywood and the American military have had a mutually beneficial relationship, with movies being allowed to be filmed on military bases, planes, and ships, while the military gets positive portrayals of its soldiers—sometimes evening leading to a recruitment boom.
However, in recent years, the Chinese regime has increasingly been using the allure of its massive film market to get Hollywood studios to censor or alter movies, a trend that jeopardizes free speech while sacrificing American values and principles.
The issue of Chinese censorship came under scrutiny with the release of “Top Gun: Maverick” in 2022. In the original “Top Gun” film, Tom Cruise’s character, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, wears a bomber jacket with Taiwanese and Japanese flag patches. However, a trailer for the second installment showed both flags removed and replaced with emblems, drawing speculation that the move was aimed at appeasing Beijing. Eventually, the flags were reinstated in the final version of the movie.
Also, in 2022, the movie “Minions: The Rise Of Gru” got an alternative ending in China that supported the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) policies.
By Frank Fang and Eva Fu
Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com
Pentagon Agrees with Rep. Green: Hollywood Must Stop Bowing to the CCP
WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Mark Green gave the following statement after the Department of Defense announced it will no longer work with film studios that censor their movies on behalf of the Communist China Party (CCP), a move Rep. Green called for in his Stopping Communist Regimes from Engaging in Edits Now Act (SCREEN Act).
“I am glad to see the Pentagon stand up against the CCP’s attempt to censor and control American films. Studios that bow to an adversarial nation’s political agenda do not deserve support from our defense agencies.
“American filmmaking should be about free expression and American values. It should not be used as a vehicle for CCP propaganda. That is why I submitted provisions of my SCREEN Act today as an amendment to the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. The Pentagon’s new rule is a great step forward, but we need protections against CCP propaganda written in law.”
You can read op-eds on the topic here and here.
Sen. Cruz To Introduce Legislation Cutting Off Hollywood Studios Over Complicity In Chinese Censorship
Bill is part of Sen. Cruz’s comprehensive effort to combat China’s information warfare in culture and higher education
HOUSTON, Texas – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today announced his intention to introduce the “The Stopping Censorship, Restoring Integrity, Protecting Talkies Act” or SCRIPT Act, legislation cutting off Hollywood studios from assistance they receive from the Department of Defense if those studios censor their films for screening in China. This legislation is part of Sen. Cruz’s comprehensive push to combat China’s growing influence over what Americans see and hear, which includes legislation targeting information warfare from the Chinese Communist Party across higher education, sports, films, radio broadcasts, and more.
Upon announcing the legislation, as reported by Politico, Sen. Cruz, said:
“From buying media outlets to broadcast propaganda into America to coercing Hollywood studios and sports leagues to self-censor by threatening to cut off access to one of the biggest markets for sports and entertainment in the world, the Chinese Communist Party spends billions and billions of dollars to mislead Americans about China and shape what our citizens see, hear, and think. All of these activities are part of China’s whole-of-state approach to amass more influence around the world through information warfare – and we need to put a stop to it.
“For too long, Hollywood has been complicit in China’s censorship and propaganda in the name of bigger profits. The SCRIPT Act will serve as a wakeup call by forcing Hollywood studios to choose between the assistance they need from the American government and the dollars they want from China.”
Background:
It is common for major Hollywood action films to contract with the Pentagon to use U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) assets, such as jets, tanks, or naval bases, for example. The SCRIPT Act prohibits the DoD from providing technical assistance or access to assets for U.S. companies that censor their films for screening in China, specifically prohibiting 1) assistance to any film unless the filmmakers promise not to censor the film and 2) assistance to any film that’s coproduced with a Chinese company subject to Chinese censorship, 3) assistance to studios that have recently censored their films to gain access to China’s market.
Last week, Sen. Cruz announced legislation to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from exploiting Federal Communications Commission (FCC) loopholes to propagandize to Americans from radio stations in Mexico or Canada, including through stations entangled with Chinese state-owned media outlets such as Phoenix TV.
Read the full text of the SCRIPT Act here.
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