July 13, 2023
MANILA – There will be no nine-dash line in the South China Sea of Barbie’s world, said the Philippines’ Movie and Television Review Classification Board (MTRCB) on Wednesday, as it gave the go-ahead for the domestic screening of the Warner Bros film.
The MTRCB has asked the film distributor to blur the controversial dash lines on the fictitious world map featured in one scene of the film starring Australian actress Margot Robbie in the titular role.
The board released its decision on the same day the Philippines was marking the 7th anniversary of the historic arbitral ruling that struck down Beijing’s sweeping nine-dash line claim over almost the entire South China Sea in 2016.
The body argued that the world map featured in the Barbie film does not show the nine-dash line.
This is a less strident position than that of Vietnam, another claimant country in the South China Sea territorial dispute.
Vietnam last week decided to ban the film over its alleged depiction of Beijing’s sweeping claim over almost the entire South China Sea, which is also being challenged by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.
The Philippines’ MTRCB said: “The Review Committee is convinced that the contentious scene does not depict the ‘nine-dash line’. Instead, the map portrayed the route of the make-believe journey of Barbie from Barbie Land to the ‘real world’, as an integral part of the story.”
It gave Barbie a “Parental Guidance” rating, which means children below 13 years old must be accompanied by an adult to watch the film in theatres.
The MTRCB echoed the earlier position by production company Warner Bros, which maintained that the dash lines on Barbie’s map had “not intended to make any type of statement”.
The original version of the controversial map in the film released by MTRCB with permission from Warner Bros, which was seen by The Straits Times, shows dash lines not only next to the land mass representing Asia, but also beside illustrations depicting the United States, Greenland, Brazil and Africa.
The MTRCB said it consulted with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the Solicitor General, and a legal expert on the South China Sea to finalise its decision.
“Rest assured that the Board exhausted all possible resources in arriving at this decision as we have not hesitated in the past to sanction film-makers/producers/distributors for exhibiting the fictitious ‘nine-dash line’ in their materials,” the MTRCB said.
The fictitious world map to be featured in Warner Bros’ Barbie movie. PHOTO: PHILIPPINES’ MOVIE AND TELEVISION REVIEW CLASSIFICATION BOARD
The Philippines previously banned the animated film Abominable in 2019 and the action-adventure Uncharted in 2022 over scenes depicting Beijing’s nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea. The predominantly Catholic country had also barred the screening of movies like Schindler’s List in 1993 and The Da Vinci Code in 2006 over religious concerns.
The 1995 film The Bridges Of Madison County was also banned over a three-second nude scene of actress Meryl Streep.
In 2013, Manila brought China before a tribunal constituted under the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, to challenge its expansive claim over the disputed sea.
Three years later, the tribunal struck down Beijing’s nine-dash line claim over nearly all of the South China Sea, and recognised Manila’s sovereign rights within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. Manila calls this area the West Philippine Sea.
China has not recognised this ruling and instead ramped up its military and artificial island-building activities over the years.
Beijing has also blocked Filipino fishermen and vessels from entering the disputed area by chasing them away, using water cannon.
The Philippine military recently raised “alarming concerns” after finding a larger number of Chinese militia vessels and maritime assets swarming parts of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
On Wednesday, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs launched a microsite to serve as an official resource on the country’s arbitral victory against China.
The site compiles key statements on the ruling made by Philippine officials, as well as links to books and other academic sources in support of the ruling.
“We are honoured that the arbitral ruling stands as a beacon whose guiding light serves all nations.
“It is a settled landmark and a definitive contribution to the progressive development of international law. It is ours as much as it is the world’s,” Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said.