The government issued a draft of a new law on the promotion of the country's film industry on December 15 to solicit public opinion and feedback.
The draft issued by the Legal Affairs Office of the State Council says the government will encourage enterprises, private businesses and individuals to join the film industry in return for financial support, preferential taxes and land use.
The draft specifically emphasizes that there will be no need for film production companies to co-produce movies along with organizers and competent authorities appointed by the administrative department of the Radio, Film and Television of the State Council in the future.
The draft says production companies that have made and released two or more movies according to relative laws can apply for a filmmaking license from the administrative department of Radio, Film and Television of the State Council. Once the company has a license, it only needs to put the relevant materials on record before implementing its project.
The draft goes on to say that filmmaking enterprises must report movie scripts or outlines when they want to film a movie, while enterprises or private businesses must report relevant information whenever they take part in mobile film projections. The companies also must report relevant materials when they screen domestic movies in foreign countries.
The draft contains 13 articles on forbidden content in movies made in China. It says movie content cannot do the following:
• Oppose the basic principles determined by the Constitution of the People's Republic of China or instigate people to resist or disturb the implementation of the Constitution, laws and administrative regulations.
• Endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
• Endanger national security, leak state secrets, or harm national honor and interests.
• Incite ethnic hatred or ethnic discrimination, infringe upon national customs or habits, distort national history and historical figures, or undermine national unity.
• Encourage religious fanaticism, harm religious peace and religious feelings, or undermine the unity between the religious believers and nonbelievers.
• Promote cults and superstitions.
• Disrupt the public order or undermine social stability.
• Promote obscenity, gambling, drug use, violence or terrorism.
• Instigate crimes or impart criminal methods.
• Insult or slander others, invade other people's privacy or impair the legal right of others.
• Harm social morality or the country's fine folk culture tradition.
• Violate minors' legitimate rights and interests or harm a minor's mental or physical health.
• Contain other elements prohibited by laws and administrative regulations.
According to the draft, cinemas cannot steal box office revenue or hide them from authorities. Violators will be punished in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
Cinemas that screen advertisements during a movie will receive a warning and be required to correct their behavior within a certain time period and will receive 10,000-yuan(US$1,575) to 200,000-yuan(US$31,500) fines. If they fail to do so, they will have their operating licenses revoked.