Barbie: Relief For The Makers Of Margot Robbie Starrer As It Won’t Face Ban In Philippines!

After facing a long-standing controversy, Margot Robbie’s Barbie movie has been banned in Vietnam due to a controversial map scene. However, the film will be released in the Philippines, albeit with a blurred version of the scene.

Decision of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board

The Philippines’ Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTPCB) has announced that Barbie will not be banned in the country. In a public letter, the MTPCB stated that they thoroughly examined the film, consulting with foreign affairs officials and legal experts, and found “no basis to ban the film.”

Blurring the Map Scene

To prevent any misinterpretation of the controversial map scene, the MTPCB has requested the studio executives to blur out a portion of it. This step aims to ensure that viewers in the Philippines understand the sequence correctly.

Understanding the Controversy: The ‘Nine-Dash Line’

The controversy revolves around Barbie drawing a picture of a world map that depicts the ‘nine-dash line.’ This U-shaped marking represents China’s disputed territorial claims in the South China Sea. Several countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei, oppose these claims, arguing that they infringe upon their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

MTPCB’s Interpretation of the Map

According to the Philippine censors, they believe that the ‘cartoonish map’ shown in the film was not intended to depict the nine-dash line. Instead, they argue that the map portrays Barbie’s fictional journey from Barbie Land to the ‘real world,’ serving as an integral part of the story.

Details of the Map Drawing

The map scene in question shows dashed lines drawn in a child-like manner, appearing in various locations around land masses representing Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and Asia. The censors noted that only eight dashes surround the landmass labeled ‘Asia,’ indicating that the map does not explicitly depict the nine-dash line.

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