The screening of a new Winnie the Pooh slasher film has been cancelled in Hong Kong due to technical reasons, according to reports.
Moviematic, which had organised a screening of the British film set to go ahead on Tuesday night, reported the cancellation on social media.
The distributor of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, in Hong Kong – VII Pillars Entertainment – did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A ticket-booking link on the company’s official Facebook page prompted a message saying ticketing was temporarily unavailable.
Chinese censors have previously targeted the film’s main character due to memes which compare the bumbling bear to President Xi Jinping,
He is currently on a three-day visit to Russia.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The comparisons first started in 2013 when Xi visited the US and met his then-counterpart Barack Obama – with some online commentators comparing their likeness to Pooh and Tigger.
Others have used the image of Pooh, originally created by English author AA Milne, to signal dissent.
Some films have been prevented from being shown in the Chinese special administrative region after a new censorship law came into effect in 2021.
The former British colony’s censorship law now bans movies that “endorse, support, glorify, encourage and incite activities that might endanger national security”.
Read more on Sky News:
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping praise ‘no limits friendship’
Putin and Xi – best pals or a friendship of convenience?
Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 after anti-government protests stormed the city.
Last year, two films were dropped from Hong Kong’s international film festival after failing to get approval from authorities.
The latest cancellation comes as the city prepares to host the Art Basel contemporary art fair, with authorities keen to promote Hong Kong as a vibrant cultural hub.
Hong Kong’s government has not yet responded to a request for comment.
