As we reported last September, the official Chinese censors had approved the first gay-themed film to officially allowed a release in the country – Seek McCartney (which is going by the name Looking For Rohmer on its international releases). The movie is now preparing for its Chinese release, and to mark that, you can watch the trailer below.
The movie, directed by Wang Chao, focuses on the relationship between two gay men – one Chinese and one French.
There’s a bit of a battle raging in China at the moment over the government’s attitude to LGBT-themes. While the censor has approved Seek McCartney, last month it banned a popular series and had it removed from streaming services. It also announced it would take a dim view of ‘alternative’ relationships in other shows.
While gay sex was decriminalised in China in 1997, it remains a taboo subject for large parts of the county, and there is a bit of a cultural war over whether showing gay people in media is detrimental to society and Chinese values. Hopefully though the release of Seek McCartney will be the start of a liberalisation, even if what’s happening with TV suggests the opposite.
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