THE Australian film Babe, a barnyard tale of a pig that wants to be a sheepdog, has been given the chop by Chinese censors, US film industry sources said yesterday.
The international box office hit was trotted out among 10 foreign movies proposed to be shown in China this year under an unwritten quota system allowing new releases to reach Chinese audiences.
"I don't know why Chinese censors have decided not to allow in Babe, the source said. "It is a charming film."
Chinese movie sources said domestic film authorities might be nervous that Babe might adversely affect home produced movies.
Babe won an Oscar for best visual effects at last month's Academy Awards and had been nominated for best picture.
Chinese film officials could not be reached for comment.
Beijing last year launched a policy that allows distribution of 10 recently released foreign movies each year under a box office sharing agreement.
This has been lucrative for Chinese partner, China Film, and for Hollywood, but at, the expense of domestic competitors and has aroused concern among local film officials.
China's censors scratched the latest James Bond blockbuster, Goldeneye, and Apollo 13, which glorifies the US space industry at a time when China's is in some disarray.
This year, Chinese audiences have been allowed to see Clint Eastwood's The Bridges of Madison County with Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman in Outbreak, and Keanu Reeves in A Walk in the Clouds and will also see Toy Story and Waterworld.
China last year imported such films as True Lies, The Lion King and The Fugitive, which set box office records while many of the 50 domestically made films gathered dust on shelves of distribution companies.