The film has been banned due to its violent scenes. Photo kenh14.vn

HCM CITY (VNS)— The movie Bui Doi Cho Lon (Chinatown) by Vietnamese-American director Charlie Nguyen has been banned from distribution and screening in Viet Nam because the film is "too violent" and misrepresented HCM City's Chinatown.

The decision announced yesterday by the culture ministry's Cinema Department followed several attempts by the movie's producer to revise the script and cut violent scenes.

According to culture authorities, the movie distorted the present life of people living in HCM City's Cho Lon area (formerly known as Chinatown), making it out to be anarchical where criminal gangs could do whatever they liked and where violence frequently occurred. They considered the movie to be too violent and without human value.

The movie was scheduled to debut on April 30.

The Chanh Phuong Film Studio had adjusted the movie's script three times, cutting and adding scenes as required.

"We were asked to change the whole script," Nguyen told the media. "That means we have to start from the beginning, which is impossible for us. We don't have enough money to do it again."

Said the Cinema Department: "After a careful examination of the movie's updated versions, the culture authorities still kept their opinion about the violence depicted in the movie. Therefore, the movie has violated the Viet Nam Cinema Law and has been banned." — VNS