Censor-banned "Cho Lon" leaks to the web

At the beginning of June, the Vietnamese censorship office has struck a blow against the latest film directed by Truc "Charlie" Nguyen. "Cho Lon" (Bui doi Cho Lon) was completely banned from distribution both in Vietnam and abroad. But on Friday, 5th July, the film appeared briefly on Youtube.com.

The plot focuses on a conflict between gangs in Cho Lon (Chinatown) in Saigon. The film is filled with brutal fight scenes with knives and machetes. One of the leading roles is played by Johnny Tri Nguyen, whom the polish audience knows from "Adrift" (Choi voi) and "Clash" (Bay rong), shown at previous editions of Five Flavours.

In April, because of the accumulation of violent scenes, the censors tried to force the director to introduce changes to "Cho Lon". They described the film as "unrealistic" (that is portraying Vietnam in an unflattering manner). Despite the modifications, the second censorship preview did not bring the approval of Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, which banned the film from being distributed in Vietnam, and consequently from being shown in any other country. The ministry claimed, that the film portays the Cho Lon district of Saigon as a land of anarchy, since the chaotic, bloody fights shown in the film do not cause any intervention on the part of the government, the police or any other state officers.

Charlie Nguyen emphasized that he cannot consent to further changes in the script, as they would interfere excessively with the original idea of the film and its plot. The film would also have to be remade completely, and the "Cho Lon" crew doesn't have enough financial means to do that.

Because of the Nguyen Brothers' popularity and the budget of over $750 000 (which is a lot for a Vietnamese production), the film was one of the most anticipated productions in Vietnam. The news about the distribution ban have caused quite a stir among action cinema fans and the filmmakers, who started talking about the need for changes in the Vietnamese film law.

An equal stir was caused when a 90-minute version of the film appeared on Youtube.com on Friday, July 13^th. At the moment it is no longer available online, and there is no certainty as to who put it on the website, but before it disappeared many Vietnamese managed to watch or download it.

The revealed version of "Cho Lon" was not the director's cut, but a result of one of the attempts to cut out violent scenes and edit the film in a way, which would allow it to slip through the censors' sieve.

Charlie Nguyen harshly criticized the leak, and published an official statement regarding the event:

- I am absolutely shocked and deeply saddened by the fact that someone is trying to kill my baby. [This version] is just a sketch, with incomplete content, sound, light, and special effects. I don't want anyone to see such version - said the director.

But the situation can be beneficial to the production - the censorship in Vietnam cannot ignore a film, which the Vietnamese have already seen. It is possible, therefore, that "Cho Lon" will eventually be approved for distribution.